I am Trainer
by KlonoaDreams
Summary: When I was little, I used to look up to my older siblings...now they can just screw off! I got kicked out! All I have is a backpack and a Pokémon I'm expected to train. And of all the days I had to get kicked out of the house, it had to be around the time yet another crime syndicate stirs up! Lovely...This is my story and already, I hate my life and the role I was forcibly given.
1. Kicked Out!

A/N Hey guys! I know I should be working on my other stories, but this has been in my head for a bit and it's been bugging me. So I decided to take a break and write this story! :D Yeah…hey, I just got back in school on 1-3-12, and since then, I've been pretty busy.

Gah…homework, I'm starting to get a lot of it, now. By the way, HAPPY NEW YEAR! :D Hopefully, I get somewhere with my stories…and maybe even complete one! Yeah, don't expect that story to be _Secret or Misconception_…I'm on hiatus for that story. Now, let me get on to the disclaimer…

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Pokémon franchise or anything related to it!**

Okay, now let's get onto the basics of this story…

AU Summary: When I was little, I used to look up to my older siblings…now they can just go to hell! I got kicked out of my own house, for crying out loud! All I have now is just a backpack full of items and a Pokémon that I'm expected to train on this journey. Sounds easy…right? The only problem is that I have too many expectations to fulfill…

To top it all off, of all the days I had to get kicked out of the house to start my journey, it had to be the time yet another crime syndicate stirs up. Here's to the end of Generation IV and the start of Generation V. I am a Pokémon Trainer, a title that I am still getting used to, and this is my story…

…

Okay, I'm trying out a new style for this story only. Unlike _Our Last Pact_, I'm using English names…yeah, I might get rid of that when I get to people, but moving on! Let's get onto the story, shall we?

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><p>…<p>

When I was young, I always looked up to my older siblings…when I wasn't being a brat. As the youngest child, basically the baby of the family, I have a lot of expectations to fulfill. It isn't easy being the youngest in a family of Pokémon Trainers…especially if it's your siblings who were the ones to become better Pokémon Trainers than Mom and Dad.

I won't say much about my parents, but I will say that they definitely earn my respect… My parents in their time as Trainers went through difficult obstacles on their journeys. For the most part, their journey wasn't in their home region…it was away. Both my parents also faced a language barrier, which, by now, they have overcome.

My mother's journey was in the Johto region, thanks to an exchange program at her school. My father stayed in Hoenn. They managed to become Ace Trainers, which says a lot considering the class consists of expert Trainers and again, considering their language barrier and lack of knowledge of the region they journeyed...it is a very impressive feat. They eventually met up again and while I don't know the details that came in between, they eventually got married and settled down in Hoenn. Not long after, they had their first child…my oldest brother.

My oldest brother was a Kanto Trainer, having been lucky enough to be chosen out of many children in his school to become Professor Oak's first Pokédex Holder. He chose Bulbasaur as his Starter Pokémon and worked his way through the Kanto Region when he was ten years old. When he was fifteen, he did the most amazing thing ever…he became Kanto's Champion.

From there on, my oldest sibling unintentionally created a legacy that would only be carried on by my other siblings, which in turn, would force a lot of expectations on me.

My second oldest brother went through the same exchange program as my mother did when she was younger and went to the Johto region. He chose Totodile as his Starter Pokémon and even if he didn't become a Champion, my second oldest brother did the next best thing…he became a member of the Elite Four and stands in at number three up to this day.

My oldest sister (as well as my only sister) stayed in the Hoenn region. She chose Torchic as her Starter Pokémon and went beyond what my first two oldest brothers did. Not only did she take on the League, but she also got past the Elite Four and beat the Champion. It doesn't end there…she took on the Battle Frontier next and became a Frontier Brain. Yeah, it doesn't get any better than that since dear Big Sis decided to set the bar of how far one can go...

My third oldest brother had a much more modest legacy in comparison to my much older siblings. He went to the Sinnoh region for his journey and chose Chimchar as his Starter Pokémon. It was a very simple journey…well, at first. His journey went from being simple to rather complicated as it began around a very memorable time…it was the time crime syndicates began to rise and stir up trouble in the regions. Generation I was where it began.

There are currently only four Generations, this one being Generation IV. The Generations are marked with Roman numerals to signify the crime syndicates and their legacy within a region. Generations change numerals once a crime syndicate stirs up in another region.

Generations I and II signifies the most known crime syndicate that struck first Kanto, and then Johto: Team Rocket. Team Rocket was most known for its shocking return three years after its disbandment, which was caused by Ultimate Trainer Red. Each Generation is also defined by a brave Pokémon Trainer (or Trainers) who brought an end to the syndicate. After Generations I and II, the age limit at which a child can become a Trainer went from ten years old to eleven years old in Kanto and Johto. Hoenn wasn't well-informed about Team Rocket and the age limit, and neither were the other regions.

This eventually became a problem once Generation III stirred up and crime syndicates Team Magma and Team Aqua took their position in the Hoenn region. The Hoenn region was not given information about Team Rocket and the recently modified age limit until a year into the whole scenario, which by then, proved to be a problem. Due to the lack of knowledge, Hoenn was unable to take the precautions it could have, had they known about Team Rocket. Considering this incident's location, this one hit closer to home for both my parents and sister.

It was because of Team Magma and Team Aqua that my parents moved to the Unova region, with the help of my siblings. Not long after moving to Unova, my mom gave birth to me, seeing as she was pregnant during the time this whole incident began.

Anyways, just like the previous Generations, another group of Trainers brought an end to Team Magma and Team Aqua. Everything was peaceful after that and the age limit was bumped up to twelve years old...in Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn. Sinnoh was rather slow when it came to receiving information and was not aware of the modified age limits and crime syndicates until after Generation III. Sinnoh only changed its age limit to eleven and slowly shared the recently obtained information in order to avoid paranoia. Only certain people in the Sinnoh region knew about the entire scenario. These people were Gym Leaders, the Elite Four, and the Champion. Pokémon League affiliates were always the first to be informed. That is just how it is. Frontier Brains were also keyed in due to their connections with the Pokémon League.

There was one year of tranquility enjoyed by the Sinnoh region, one year in which all Pokémon League affiliates weren't as lucky to enjoy due to their constant vigilance of the region. When that year ended, Generation IV slowly began with Team Galactic. Unlike the previous crime syndicates, Team Galactic was more organized when it came to their goal. Due to their ridiculous appearance, they were taken lightly of at first. This was how managed to get through the first year without much intervention, save for a certain International Police member and others. Of course, Team Galactic had already gone unnoticed for a certain period of time, which resulted in the Sinnoh region becoming unusually colder. There are still a lot of questions pertaining to Team Galactic's exact origins.

With the advancement of technology, it was possible for all regions to be up to date with previous and current crime syndicate activity at any given time. As such, Generation IV worried my entire family the most because my third oldest brother was still in the Sinnoh region and they were fully informed about the incident, unlike before. My third oldest brother was training his hardest to prepare for the Pokémon League at the time. He had already lost his first time, but decided he didn't want to end it there. During his time there, he had come across Team Galactic a few times and had even fought them off.

Never once had he lost, though, much to the relief of my family. By the time Team Galactic was brought to an end, my brother made it past the Elite Four and was up against Champion Cynthia…he lost, but he had managed to earn a spot in the Elite Four as Aaron's stand-in since he and the Elite Four member had become very good friends.

Now where does that leave me? It leaves me under a set of huge expectations. Though, unlike my siblings, my parents were expecting me to start my journey at a much later age due to the age limit. The age limit was bumped again after Team Galactic was brought to an end. It was officially raised to thirteen in other regions…and the reason I said other regions is because in Unova, the age limit, prior to Generation I and II, was twelve. After Team Galactic, the age limit now stands at fourteen…Unova is very different in comparison to the other regions.

It has different species of Pokémon, the region is broad, and apparently, from what I learned in school, some of the Unova region's Pokémon can be rather violent and dangerous at times… I was impatient, at first, because I happened to have had the luck of living in the same town as the region's professor.

However, I have to admit that after I turned fourteen, I lost all interest in becoming a Trainer. I stayed in school, much to my parents' shock. As if fulfilling my family's expectations wasn't difficult already, I made it much worse. I have only to blame myself for this, but really, I don't see a point…

Though, what I didn't expect was for my friends to stay with me in this small town. Touko, Touya, Bel, and Cheren were really good friends…and then they left me on the last day of school. Everyone left except Touya, who had to stay because Professor Juniper ran out of Starter Pokémon. I don't know if I should be happy or sad…so then I decided to be neutral.

Let's move onto a more current event… I was barely three days into my summer vacation, in my room playing _Portal 2_. The next thing I knew, I was standing outside of the house, facing the door. What struck me rather odd was the backpack I was wearing and the Pokémon in my arms…

"Did I just get kicked out?" was the first thing that came out of my mouth.

The Pokémon in my arms looked up at me and blinked. "Osha?"

I blinked and looked at the Pokémon. It was the Unova region's water-type Starter Pokémon, Oshawott. It was the Sea Otter Pokémon, small and fluffy with blue and white fur with a shell on its chest. I remembered what my mother told me once about her reaction to this Starter Pokémon. She didn't like it and she still doesn't…and now I'm owning the Pokémon she dislikes…wait? Is it really mine? I feel…weird…

"Osha?"

I blinked again as I stared at my Oshawott. I remember once wanting to own this Pokémon, much to the joy of my older sister's husband—wait…where did they get this Oshawott? And just what was in the backpack I was wearing?

I set my Oshawott down onto the porch and took off the backpack I was wearing. I then looked into my backpack and narrowed my eyes at the clothes inside. There was a pink, frilly camisole…and not the shade I tolerate because it's pretty. I had a feeling that my sister picked out my clothes because only she knows of my hatred for shades of pink I do not consider pretty. At least the style is cute, though girly, but still cute nonetheless…I can tolerate this to a certain extent.

The rest of my clothes were more to my style and color, simple and blue…with the occasional mixture of black and white. I saw a pair of blue converse inside the backpack as well and—hello! Folded piece of paper~!

I took the folded piece of paper out and unfolded it, looking over it afterwards. It was a letter…from my older sister.

_You took too long, so I decided to get Mom and Dad to give you an incentive. Go on your journey… You can finish school later like your brothers, for now…just get out of Nuvema Town and live._

_I already packed your backpack a few days back and Mom should have given you a reasonable amount of money in your wallet…look to the small, outer pocket on the right. You have been given the latest Trainer backpack…be glad. When I was your age, all I got was a Torchic and a belt bag._

…

I rolled my eyes. Of course, it was so like of my sister would bring up the privileges I had that my older siblings didn't have when they were my age.

"What else is she gonna bitch about next?" I pray to Arceus that she never finds out I said that…

I continued reading the letter.

_I have also provided you a Starter Pokémon. Say hello to your Oshawott. Gender is unknown, mostly because I rather you find out what it is._

"What the fuck?"

That was so not cool! How else was I going to name this little…otter thing? I look at my Oshawott, who is currently looking at me like I'm crazy. I rolled my eyes at it. I'm not crazy…I'm just hyper—that reminds me.

"What am I going to do about my medicine?" that was probably one of the reasons I gave up on going on a Pokémon journey. As a kid with ADHD, I have medication to take so it doesn't get the better of me. Without it…I just recall my days in kindergarten and remember the chaos I caused in that class…it wasn't much, but dear Arceus, I certainly pissed off the teacher.

Still, that teacher gave me a frowny face when I unintentionally yawned. That was uncool…oh, there's more to the letter.

_If you're wondering about your medication, I got Mom to help you out. Your medicine is located in your backpack's medicine case. You have enough to keep you going for five months until your next refill. Just go to any Pokémon center for a refill and you're good. Don't worry about paying for it…Dad's got you covered._

_Now, if you're still in front of the house reading this, just wait a bit and Touya will get to you. I managed to convince Mom to let him tag along with you for the time being…just until you reach Striaton City._

_You should be wearing the X-Transceiver I got you for your sixteenth birthday…if you're not, too bad. You're not allowed in the house until you get going on your journey._

_Good luck and hopefully, you'll lose some weight… You're not fat, but you worry me._

_Love,_

_Your Sister…_

I narrowed my eyes at the last sentence before "love". Gee, that's a great boost to my self-esteem—oh, fuck it, I don't even care if I'm overweight. I've come to accept that fact and anyways, I've lost some weight recently, no thanks to the bunch of stress I had during finals week… That was one hell of a week…at least I got straight A's for once. The last time I got straight A's was in middle school. After I entered high school…I got a mixtures of A's, B's, and the occasional C, which gets my family's attention and gets them on my case as well.

Though, the fact that I may lose some more weight will probably serve me well, seeing as that's one less thing for my family to get on my case for. The next thing is going on this journey…well, it was going to happen one day, I guess. I just didn't think this would happen. And great…Touya's coming along.

This is probably my mom's worst nightmare…having me travel alongside a boy. My mom has always been iffy about me hanging around guys… Cheren and Touya are the only two guys I even hang out with and if not them, then no one else. The rest of my friends are girls, Touko, Touya's younger twin sister, and Bel, the lovable, bubbly blonde…

From what I heard from Touya, Bel had to run away from home because her father was firm on not letting her go on her journey. That just sucks…I find it great that's she's going on her journey, but I don't like the fact that she had to run away from home to do so. At least she's happy with her Tepig…

…

_P.S_

_If you're wondering where we got the Oshawott, which is, by the way, three months old…put two and two together and think who has the Pokémon to breed an Oshawott._

I blinked and reread that last sentence at least ten times before I look at my Oshawott and said, "You're the spawn of my brother-in-law's Samurott?"

Oshawott looked at me, confused. I sighed and shook my head. I shouldn't expect a three-month-old Oshawott to know this. That reminded me…

"You're my Pokémon…" I knelt down to pick up my Oshawott.

Words cannot describe this feeling I'm feeling as I hold up my Oshawott. I feel…kinda jittery. Maybe I shouldn't have had coffee this morning… Why did I have coffee anyways, I'm more for tea. I just shook my head and stood up. This is it…such a big day and yet I'm treating it just like any other day. I mean, I just got kicked out of my own house.

Why am I so passive? I think it's just more because this was rather…predictable. I had it coming, that's for sure.

"Hey!" a voice called out.

I turned around and spotted Touya out in the distance. Touya was a boy with short brown hair and brown eyes…just like me! Only with much shorter hair…that looked fluffy and soft…dat hair… Okay! Snapping out of it!

Touya looked almost like his sister, Touko, only she had blue eyes and her hair was longer and was wavy and fluffy. She had the most awesome ponytail…it was so fluffy! What I would give to have her hair…or a baseball cap like Touya!

"By the way, I got you a baseball cap!" Touya said, pulling out a baseball cap that was nearly identical to his, only with a blue Poké ball design instead of red.

I stared at him wide-eyed. Could this get any better? Wait, no…no it can't, I got kicked out of my house—still! I got a hat~!

I took the baseball cap from his hand and promptly placed it on. I love it already…

"Eeehhh…." I feel so happy.

"It was a gift from your sister, and by the way, here's your Trainer card and Pokédex," Touya said, handing me a blue device and a blue card.

I took the items and stuffed them into my pocket. I don't bother looking at them. I KNOW how they look…hey! I grew up practically alone in the house, but when the family was over for the holidays or on their days off, I got to see a lot of things. I got to see my siblings' kick-ass other region Pokémon and their items, like their Pokédexes. It was so awesome…especially knowing that your siblings have connections to famous people.

That's it! That'll be my goal! To get connections with famous people… for now, must thank Touya…

"Thank you!" I smiled at Touya. "Now what?"

Touya blinked and looked at my Oshawott. "Hey, that's a cute Pokémon! Touko chose Oshawott as her Starter, too!"

I blinked. "Really? Oh…what did you get?"

Touya blinked again and pulled out two Poké balls. He pressed on the buttons in the center of the capsules and released two Pokémon. One was a reptilian snake-like grass Pokémon and the other was an orange and black pig…

"You got a Tepig and a Snivy?" I asked. "Whoa…"

Touya nodded. "Yeah, the Snivy's female and the Tepig's male…what's your Pokémon's gender?"

I looked at my Oshawott and laughed nervously. "Well…my sister decided to be an ass and told me to figure it out on my own—that's Snivy's female? Aww…and I had a good name for it, too…assuming you didn't name them already."

Touya shook his head. "Actually, I was gonna go to you for that…now… Give me some names."

"I didn't hear a please." I could be such a troll at times…

"Please," Touya said.

I nodded and smiled. "Okay, I got a good one for Snivy…let's call her Ivy! Ya know, like from Batman! Poison Ivy!"

Snivy looked at me weirdly as just replied with a cool, "Sni!"

Touya looked at Snivy. "I think she likes it, though I wonder why you didn't go with Pamela instead."

Pamela Isley is the real name of Poison Ivy, but I kinda forgot about that. "I was a bit too quick on that, but still, Ivy fits."

Touya sighed. "Okay, what about Tepig?"

My smile widened. I had a really good one… "Ganon…"

Tepig tilted his head to the side. "Te?"

Touya blinked. "You've been getting into _Zelda_ lately, haven't you?"

"That isn't the only thing I've been getting into!" I said before looking at Oshawott. "Seeing as I don't know your gender, but I do know a name that I know is sure to be gender neutral…I shall name you Kairi!"

Oshawott blinked and tilted its head to the side. "Osha?"

I turned my attention to Touya. "So…you're supposed to be going along with me?"

"Just until we get to Striaton City…unless you want me to stay?" Touya said, looking at me questioningly.

I scoffed. "Thanks, but no thanks…I can take care of myself—"

"And that's why your sister requested me to go along." Touya looked smug.

I scowled at Touya. "I hate you."

Touya laughed. "Okay, let's change the subject…do you wanna get going already?"

"But don't we have to have epic rival battles at the beginning of our journeys?" I smile sheepishly at Touya as he looked at me funny.

"You're stalling me, aren't you?"

"Yes…no…shut up!"

Touya stared at me for a few minutes. I stayed silent. He wasn't going to get me to talk…

…

…

…

"Okay, I am! Just stop looking at me like that! It's like you're staring into my soul!" I can't believe he got me to talk…by just staring at me. Still, those eyes…they stare into my soul.

Touya grinned. "See, that wasn't too hard, was it? Now let's get going…"

"But I don't wanna leave~!" I closed my eyes and whined.

Touya stared blankly at me and returned his Pokémon back into their Poké balls. Afterwards, he grabbed me by the wrist and started dragging me.

"We're going." And that was that.

Today, nothing seemed to want to go my way. I got kicked out of my own house, for crying out loud! I used to look up at my siblings when I was little…now they could just go to hell. I'm not even sure if my brothers were involved in this situation, but like I care! I got kicked out!

…

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><p>AN End of chapter… Well, that's my first time writing in first-person and this chapter was short, I know, but it seemed fitting to end it right here… Anyways, say hello to our currently nameless character! :D Won't say much about my OC, however…I will say this…

This OC is very different…this OC has ADHD…just like me! :D Yeah, I'm gonna show you how hard it actually _is_ for a person to have ADHD. I'm using my own experience with ADHD for OC and please note that not all people with ADHD are the same. Everyone is different...REMEMBER THAT.

OC may be a little calm now, but without that medication… Yeah, I'll get back to you on that. I'm gonna have to go a day without my medication before I can finish that statement.

The concept for this story was derived from a webcomic called _Manly Guys Doing Manly Things_. There is a Pokémon Trainer named Jared in the story and he was looked at by his parents as a disappointment because he didn't quit school when he was ten to become a Trainer.

He finally became a Trainer when his mother forced him to mow the lawn and guess what? There were Pokémon on that lawn. Yeah, you have to read the comic yourself because really, it's much better that way.

As for Touya being here…hey, I kinda killed him off in my other Black and White story and here… I decided to give Touko a break. However, the reason I killed Touya off was because I needed his death to be an incentive for Touko and because I couldn't find a suitable role for him… Now with my OC, he has a role and that's pretty much babysitting the little, irresponsible n00b that my OC currently is…

…

…

Okay, it's because I couldn't think up of a male OC! Don't judge me! DX

Anyways, with an OC like this one…yeah, this OC won't last long on her own. I wanted to do something different from the other characters I was working on. For this OC, I decided to use a comment my sister told me once and put it to use. The comment was that I can't last long on my own…hey! My sister is a _Marine_.

I can't argue with her there because, really, she's gone through more shit than me…no, not gonna argue with her there.

Let's see where this story will take me… I just decided to do this one mostly for shit and giggles. I am gonna have fun with this OC…Oh, and an explanation for the OC's siblings…how else was I going to get so many expectations forced onto her? I mean, look at her older sister! It really doesn't get any better than that…and by better, I mean worse.

Hopefully, you enjoyed the chapter for this story. I'll be working on it in my free time or when I'm taking a break from fandoms. And I hope my OC doesn't seem like a Mary Sue…I'm really trying, here.

Like I said before, this is my first Pokémon OC…and she is different. Most of my stories involve a Trainer that actually becomes a Trainer willingly or comes to accept their role. This OC is different for how she takes to being practically forced into her role as a Trainer and having the knowledge of what is expected of her to fulfill. She doesn't want to become a Trainer and has yet to accept her role just yet…why? That question is something that will be answer sooner or later in this story.

Now you know the drill…NO FLAMES. I take constructive criticism and reviews are nice little things…so long as they are NOT flames. :C

Anyways, till next time! KD out! XD


	2. Starting Out!

I could tell Touya was annoyed with me by the time we reached the entrance to Route 1. Good Arceus, I can't believe it's really happening. I'm being forcibly taken out of my hometown…I'm not ready!

"Let me go!" I tried to slow Touya down.

Unfortunately, despite my heavy weight, which I actually hoped would help me out for once, Touya was strong… Fuck.

"Your sister entrusted me with you and told me to keep you safe," Touya remarked. "She wanted me specifically to guide you to Striaton City because she was worried you would hurt yourself along the way."

Wow, is that what my sister really thought of me? That's sad…I can take care of myself! I mean, I never got injured…seriously. The most I have ever gotten were bruises, lots of them…up to the point where I didn't even know where they came from… Except for that one time I fell and sprained my little finger, only to later find out that I fractured it but the fracture was so small that it didn't need a cast. Then there was that one time I stepped on glass when I was much younger…

Dammit! I'm contradicting myself!

"Osha?"

I stopped my struggling and looked down at my Oshawott, Kairi. He—she…it, looked worried—okay, I really need to get my Oshawott gendered. But first, I need to get Touya to let go! His hand is cutting off the circulation to my wrist!

"Oi, Touya!" I exclaimed. "My wrist needs to breathe!"

Touya stopped walking and looked at me. He arched his brow, probably wondering if I was lying. After a few seconds, he released my wrist, much to my relief. I rubbed my wrist, scowling at the red mark encircling it.

"Ya know, you're lucky my mom isn't here, otherwise, you'd be screwed." I'm not bluffing…my mom went through Johto and one of the Pokémon she owns is a Hitmontop…hey! That Pokémon could fuck up anything, be they a person or a Pokémon…or just random furniture that happened to be in the way.

Touya looked unfazed. "Yeah, lucky me…why do you have to make everything so difficult?"

"I got kicked out of my own house, you insensitive bastard!" I immediately clapped my hand over my mouth as I saw Touya's expression harden. Oh shit…I just said an unmentionable.

Next thing I knew, I was running from Touya with my Oshawott in my arms. Kairi was confused as hell and I was terrified. Not because Touya was going to possibly beat the shit out of me, but because I probably just jeopardized my friendship with the guy. I am such a hypocrite…I call him insensitive, yet look at me… I called him a bastard and for Touya, it's a rather touchy subject because, well…

"Just because my father isn't at home, doesn't make me a bastard!" Touya was furious…and I was dead meat. Yup, that pretty much explains why he's chasing me…

"Touya, I didn't mean it!" I exclaimed, my heart nearly stopping when I almost tripped over a rock…hey! That rock was in the way and I tripped over much more random items…like a shoe or the remote. (1)

THUD!

Fuck…I just tripped over a fricken' tree root…and ow, my face… I lifted my face off the ground and looked at my Pokémon, who was currently standing right in front of me. Luckily, I didn't land on him like I did my finger when I fractured it…I'm just gonna refer to this Oshawott as a "he" until I get an accurate gender specified…

Kairi stared blankly at me. "Osha?"

"Go! Save yourself! I'm not worth it!" I immediately made a face when I saw my Oshawott start to walk away. That's the last time I try acting dramatic and—

"AAAGH!" exclaimed Touya.

I felt the wind knocked out of my lungs as Touya jumped me…literally. "OOF!"

…

My vision blurred slightly as I tried to recall what had just happened. I think I just blacked out for a bit and there's something on me—that's right! Touya's on me and…wait! Touya's on me!

"Get off me!" I yelled as I tried to elbow Touya.

Touya scowled at me. "Not until you take back that insult!"

"I'll take it back once you apologize for being insensitive!" No way was I going to apologize first until _he_ apologized.

Touya scoffed. "Me? Insensitive? You called me a bastard!"

"I just got kicked out of my own house and all you have been thinking of is going on this journey I was so forcibly forced into! You dragged me to Route 1 and there's a red mark around my wrist because you cut off my circulation!" It's taking me all my willpower to not kick the ever-loving crap out of my friend.

Hey! I know moves…I trained with my sister and her fighting-fire chicken and my brother's Saiyan-like fire monkey. You can learn a lot from a fighting-type Pokémon, according to what my siblings told me.

…

…

After arguing with Touya for like three minutes, Kairi broke us up by using Water Gun on us. How the fuck does a three-month-old Oshawott know Water Gun this early—oh, right! He's the spawn of my brother-in-law's Samurott…forgot about hereditary moves. Ha, genetics…I hate biology.

And I hate my hair right now! "Gah! The day I finally straighten my hair is the day that it all goes to waste!"

It took me a whole hour just to get the back of my hair done! My fingertips are still hurting from handling my hair while using my flat iron! Why do I even bother fixing my hair…still!

"Kairi!" I worked so hard…

Kairi turned away from me, his expression rather sheepish. "Osha…"

Touya was currently busy wringing his jacket when he overheard me. "Give the guy a break. She didn't know any better."

And it seems Touya is going to be referring my Oshawott as a "she". I don't mind, but really…I need to get this Oshawott gendered. Already, my Pokémon's unknown gender is getting to me. Hold on, I'm getting sidetracked! Back to a much more important subject…Touya jumped me.

"You jumped me, you jerk!"

Touya looked blankly at me. "You called me a bastard, you insensitive bitch."

Man, I feel like thrashing him! Screw willpower, anger trumps my resolution to _not_ kick his ass!

I got up off the ground and positioned myself in a fighting stance. "Okay, bro, you asked for it!"

Touya stood up and just kept his gaze on me. "Bring it."

"I'm warning you! I trained with a chicken and a fire-monkey!" I scowled as I saw Touya's expression stay the same. That's it…

I charged at Touya and then promptly found myself being thrown onto my back after a failed attempt at punching him square in the gut.

THUD!

"Why is everything spinning?" Ugh, my head…what just happened? I blinked as I found Touya looking directly down at me.

"You forget my mom owns a Pokémon that excels in throwing and all moves related to judo." Damn! He got me there!

"No, defense…my one weakness!" Curse you, judo and all your throwing and immobilizing techniques!

Touya sighed and shook his head. "Did you take your meds today?"

"Uh…" I really can't remember…crap.

"You don't remember, do you?" Why must your observations be dead on? He sighed. "Look, let's just get over this fight already…it's kinda pointless, now that I think about it."

Yay…he let it go…agh, my head still hurts, though.

"I'm sorry for jumping you and calling you a bitch…I kinda was an insensitive bastard." Whoa, Touya admitting he did something wrong? It's the apocalypse…that must be it. Or he's just being sincere…

Either way, I should also apologize as well, now. "I'm sorry about the whole thing…but really, could you try to be a bit more considerate next time? I got kicked out of my own house…"

Touya rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I'll keep that in mind…you need any help getting up?"

I narrowed my eyes at him as I got up. "Touya, I'm not weak…okay, maybe I am a bit, but I can take hits. Remember that time I fell off the slide?"

"You scared the crap out of the kindergarten teacher," remarked Touya. "And yeah, I do…but that has nothing to do with you taking hits…it has to do with you surviving falls."

"You threw me onto the ground…it kinda has the same feel of falling down…" Only difference, it feels much worse upon landing. I hate physics and its laws…fricken' momentum and force or whatever physics-related subject this situation related to is.

Touya nodded his head. "Ah…you got me there…but wouldn't it hurt more to be thrown down than fall down?"

"Wanna find out?" I can make him experience it first-hand if he wanted to.

"No thanks."

Aww… "Way to spoil my fun…so what now?"

Touya rubbed the back of his head and looked straight ahead. "I guess we should keep going straight…Accumula Town should just be ahead. C'mon, we could make it by nightfall if we keep going."

I narrowed my eyes at Touya. "No…we're not going…"

Touya looked blankly at me. "We'll have a battle and winner gets to keep Ivy…"

"I'm in." I want that Snivy…dat Snivy…

"I'm not finished, but there's no taking that offer back!" Touya said, grinning. "Winner gets to keep Ivy… However, the catch is that, no matter what, both the winner and the loser have to keep on going on their journey."

Well, I just walked into that. Win or lose, I'm stuck on this journey…I hate my life. Still, might as well make it worthwhile by winning that Snivy…dat Snivy…

"Kairi…" My Oshawott looked at me.

"Osha?" he said, tilting his head to the side.

I walked over to Kairi and knelt down. "Want to help me beat up my friend's Pokémon?"

Kairi tilted his head to the side. "Osha?"

"You'll get food if you help me out…" I can tell this got Kairi's attention by the look in his eyes.

"Osha!" he exclaimed.

I turned to Touya, smiling somewhat smugly. "Okay, since we're battling for the ownership of Ivy, that means you have to use Ganon."

Touya just shrugged. "That's fine."

I get the feeling Touya already foresaw his defeat…or his victory, whichever comes out of this battle. I mean, rivals of the Generations had managed to lose to their rivals, despite having the advantage in typing with their Pokémon. The same could happen to me, but I won't let it happen…not without a fight!

Though, the fact that we're battling for Ivy…that raises up a question. "Why do you have two Starter Pokémon?"

"My aunt is the Professor who provided me, Touko, Cheren, and Bel our Pokémon…" Touya said as he stared blankly at me. "Snivy was given to me as an added bonus since Professor Juniper won't be expecting any new Trainers for quite a long time." (2)

I nodded. "Oh…that makes sense… Okay, let's get this battle started!"

Touya smiled and released his Tepig. "Okay, Ganon…we're playing for keeps. Winner gets to keep Ivy…ya wanna keep her on this team, we have to win."

Ganon just blinked and nodded his head. "Te!"

Alright! Time for my otter thing to fry Touya's bacon—wait, just how would water fry bacon? Gah, my head hurts, now…

…

…

I try to ignore my poufy, frizzy hair as I looked seriously at Touya. Touya stared back at me, his expression serious as well…until he snorted and started cracking up.

"What?"

"I can't…take you seriously…with that hair!" Touya said between gasps.

I tightened my fists and breathed in deeply. No…I'm not letting this get to me…deep breaths, c'mon girl, remember what they taught you in anger management. Wait…where's my hat? I just realized my baseball cap was missing.

"Osha!" Kairi exclaimed.

I looked down at my Pokémon, smiling when I saw him hold up my baseball cap to me. I knelt down and took the cap from him. "Thank you! You are such a sweetie!"

Kairi smiled warmly at me, a small blush tingeing his cheeks. "Oshawott!"

Touya crossed his arms as he tapped his foot impatiently on the ground. "Are we gonna battle or what?"

I glared at Touya as I placed my cap on. "Way to go and ruined my bonding time with Kairi."

"You have quite a lot of time to bond with Kairi…now remember, we're battling for Ivy." Touya held out Ivy's Poké ball.

I stood up, my expression turning serious again. "Okay, bring it."

Touya smiled. "Ganon…use ember."

Ganon immediately obeyed Touya and shot fiery embers from his snout at my Oshawott. Kairi didn't bother waiting for my command and just dodged Ganon's attack. Kairi then countered Ganon's attack promptly with a rather forceful water gun. It was a one-hit K.O. as Ganon now laid on the ground in an unconscious heap.

"Te…pig…" muttered Ganon.

I stared at Ganon and then turned to Touya. "That was anti-climatic…"

"My Tepig may have a higher move set, but he's still young and he has a disability at the moment…his defense still hasn't developed quite right yet," Touya explained. "Professor Juniper explained this to me… He'll grow out of it eventually with time…or evolution, whichever comes first." (3)

I blinked. "Oh…that explains a lot."

"Yeah, I'm okay with it, though," said Touya. "Ganon has really grown on me."

"What about Ivy?"

"She bit me, so I dislike her." That's why he doesn't seem that worked up about losing Ivy to me and the bandage around his hand…speaking of Ivy…

"Touya, I want my Snivy, please!" I chirped. "Gimme, gimme!"

Touya shrugged and tossed me Ivy's Poké ball, which I caught immediately with both hands. "She's all yours…"

I inwardly squealed as I released the grass snake Pokémon out of her Poké ball. Ivy looked around, somewhat confused with her surroundings.

"Sni?" she said, her gaze focusing on me.

I smiled widely and knelt down. "Hey, guess what? I'm your new Trainer~!"

Ivy stared at me.

…

…

Ivy gave me the tiniest of all smiles and scurried onto my shoulder. Touya looked dumbstruck at Ivy's surprising acceptance to me being her new Trainer. I grinned and clapped my hands repeatedly in a childish manner.

"Yay!" I exclaimed. "I always wanted to own a reptile!"

Oh, my Arceus, we're gonna beat up so much Pokémon and Trainers, earn lots of money, and be the best of friends!

"Osha!"

I blinked and looked at Kairi. Kairi frowned as he looked up at me. Aww, he thought I forgot about him…well, it's sad to say that my victory almost did make me forget about him…I feel so horrible…

"Oh, I'm sorry, sweetie…come over here!" I said as I looked at Kairi with open arms.

Kairi smiled and jumped into my arms. "Osha!"

I smiled and embraced my Oshawott. I feel that feeling again…the jittery sensation…I don't think it's the coffee anymore, it has to be something else, but what? I don't care, I'm just happy to own two Pokémon already!

…

…

Okay, now I feel horrible again. I just left Touya short one Pokémon…I wonder…

"Hey, Touya…do you know what kind of Pokémon are roaming around Route 1?" It was a simple question, really.

Touya blinked and took out his Pokédex. "Let's see…Patrat and Lillipup are the most common with Pidove being uncommon."

I nodded my head. "Okay, give me a few minutes, I'll be right back. Watch Kairi for me!"

…

Fifteen minutes had passed before I came back to Touya. I was carrying a new Pokémon in my arms. It was a brown, short-furred puppy Pokémon. The Pokémon barked happily as I ran up to Touya. Touya looked confused as he stared at me.

"What is that?" he asked.

I took out my Pokédex and looked up the Pokémon's entry. "I believe this is a Lillipup…anyways, here!"

I promptly shoved the Lillipup into Touya's arms. Touya blinked as a small bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face. He was still confused…

"I named him Scruffy!" I chirped. "It's simple and it fits!"

Touya stared at Scruffy the Lillipup as he lifted the Pokémon into the air. "Uh…Scruffy's a girl."

I stared at Scruffy. "Wait…he's a girl?"

"You didn't check her gender before you named her, didn't you?"

…

…

After coming to terms with my inability to check gender before giving names, we continued making our way to Accumula Town. Touya now owned a female Lillipup named Scruffy (the name stuck on and Lillipup had quickly grown accustomed to it) and I owned a female Snivy named Ivy.

Life was good…but my hair wasn't. Thankfully, I found a use for the baseball cap I was given. It hides a bad hair day! (4) I'll brush my hair once it dries… Okay, what now?

"Touya, how long will it take us to reach Accumula Town?" I really am bored…all I want to do is play _Portal 2 _or some _Legend of Zelda_ and—I think I'm going through videogame withdrawal…

"It's going to take a while, so please don't ask again." Touya seemed annoyed…I wonder why.

It took us a total of five hours to reach Accumula Town. Do not ask what happened along the way…let's just say that we managed to stumble upon a pack of angry Patrat. It was horrible…

I still have scratches and bite marks…

"Civilization!" I exclaimed as I dropped to my knees on the ground. That is exactly what I said when we first stepped into Accumula Town.

Touya took one look at me and shook his head. Kairi, who was in my arms, just stared at me weirdly. I ignored them because I was cool like that…

We were promptly greeted by a familiar face not long after that. Whom were we greeted by? Why, it was our good friend, Professor Juniper! I wonder what she's doing here…

…

…

I narrowed my eyes as Professor Juniper gave Touya and me a tour around the Pokémon Center. I really don't care for this, I've been to other regions before…unfortunately. Why? My siblings put me to work there! It was sort of like my summer school, only without the home in homework and just work. I've been to the Pokémon Centers quite a lot…

Though, I do enjoy the fact that my sister taught me some moves with her kung-fu fighting chicken. Those were some good times…and I'm not even sure if her Blaziken even knows kung-fu, but hey, for lack of better terms and knowledge of martial arts. And I also enjoy my third oldest brother's attempts at trying to bond with me. Yeah, me and him kinda had differences between us…

Anyways, where was I? Oh, right! The Professor was giving us a tour…whoop-de-fricken'-do.

"Professor, do you mind if you just let us go now?" I asked. "I need to get my Oshawott gendered."

The Professor stopped walking and focused her gaze on me. "Oh, well, all right! Truth be told, I'm actually glad you interrupted me. You see, I have to head back to my lab to finish some business. Touya…you know what to do, right?"

Touya just nodded his head. Professor Juniper smiled and waved at us as she made her way towards the exit.

"Don't get hurt!" Ah, how I love Professor Juniper…she's so relatable!

Well, that was random…time to get my Pokémon gendered! I looked down at my Oshawott and smiled at him. Kairi blinked and tilted his head to the side. "Osha?"

"We're gonna see if you're a boy or a girl!" I chirped. I really don't mind what gender my Pokémon is, I could care less. However, I rather not have a gender-confused Pokémon in my hands.

…

…

Touya diverted his eyes on me as I tapped my foot impatiently on the floor. I don't know what to do anymore. It's my first day and already, I'm in Accumula Town…do we keep going from here? Or do we spend the night in the Center?

"Touya, are we going to spend the night, here?"

Touya nodded in response. "Yeah…Professor Juniper told me Touko, Cheren, and Bel are still here."

That caught my attention. I immediately got in Touya's face…literally. "Where are they?"

Touya backed away from me slightly, a small bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face. "They're…out in the dining hall."

I bolted towards a random direction, not bothering to ask where the dining hall is. It took me almost a full minute to realize, "Where's the dining hall?"

"It's to your left."

I turned and smiled at the sight of my favorite glasses-wearing boy. "Cheren!"

Cheren adjusted his glasses and crossed his arms. "Hello…when did you get here?"

"Uh…just a few minutes ago…I think?" I really need to pay attention to the clock more often.

"What happened?" Of course, Cheren would suspect something wrong.

"I got kicked out of my house by my own family!" And it so sucks!

Cheren nodded. "Ah…why do I find that predictable?"

"Because I had it coming…" I find it sad that even I thought it was predictable.

"Well, I guess you and Bel are on similar terms," Cheren said, uncrossing his arms. "Are you alone?"

"Nope…Touya's with me and it's going to be like that for a while until we reach Striaton City." That's the plan and I'm sticking with it!

"What happened to your hair?" Cheren, you're ruining my good mood.

"Touya and I had a fight, so my Oshawott used Water Gun on us." Dammit, Kairi!

"So you chose Oshawott as your Starter?" Cheren looked at me questioningly.

I shook my head. "No…I didn't. It came with a backpack and the fact I got kicked out of my house."

"Ah…so that's it," Cheren said as he reached for something in his pocket. "Would you like to battle me sometime?"

"Not now, my Oshawott's getting gendered, by the way…where are Touko and Bel?" I really want to talk to the girls right now.

"They're sharing a room right across from mine…want me to take you to them?" Cheren…sometimes you are a prick, but today, you are awfully nice!

"You lost to Touko's Oshawott, didn't you?" I could tell by Cheren's discontented expression that I was dead-on. "You chose, Snivy…am I right?"

"Actually, Touko chose Oshawott first and then Bel got Tepig—"

"And that left you with Snivy…" Wow, that makes two of us who didn't get to choose.

Cheren adjusted his glasses. "Anyways, it's not like I didn't want Snivy from the start."

I blinked and grinned. "You're actually relieved that they didn't pick Snivy, aren't you?"

Cheren sputtered a bit as a small blush tinged his cheeks. "No, I was just…"

"Don't lie to me, Cheren, it won't work!" You already gave yourself up with that blush of yours!

Cheren diverted his eyes to the side. "Yes…I was relieved."

"See, that wasn't too hard to admit, right?"

"Go to hell…" And he's back to being a prick.

I narrowed my eyes at Cheren. "Already there…it's been like that since the moment I got kicked out of my house. Now take me to Bel and Touko!"

"To the Trainer with a Snivy and Oshawott!" called out a voice. "Your Pokémon are ready!"

"Right after I pick up my Pokémon!" Oh, this is the moment of truth…the moment where I learn my Oshawott's gender.

…

…

Nurse Joy smiled at me kindly as she handed me my Poké balls. "Your Pokémon are doing quite well…do you have any questions?"

"Yeah, did you figure out my Oshawott's gender?" I need to know…

"You didn't know?" Nurse Joy looked at me questioningly. "Oh…well…I'll help you out."

And my Oshawott is—

"Your Oshawott's female," Nurse Joy said, smiling at me.

My Oshawott's a girl…

…

…

That's nice to know. Now I can stop referring to my Pokémon through means of using male pronouns. It also means I currently have an all-girl team…at the moment. That might change later on, but for now…I need to think of a name for us! It has to be cool and it has to have some meaning!

"Why do you own a Snivy?" Cheren asked.

I blinked and looked at Cheren. "Oh, I won her from Touya. She's sort of my motivation for even getting this far."

Not really, I would ditch Touya if I could, but I can't do it. I'm not _that_ jacked up to ditch my own friend! Besides, I took up his offer on that battle for Ivy and I will not go back on my word!

"Hey!" Speaking of Touya, here he comes!

Cheren turned his attention to Touya and smiled. "Hello, Touya…it's been a while."

"It's only been three days," Touya remarked. "If anything, I'm surprised you're still here."

"Bel wanted Touko and I to wait for you…I just didn't expect you to also have come along."

"And I did, ever so reluctantly." I hate being kicked out of my own house…all my videogames and other forms of entertainment are there! "Oh, and Kairi's a girl!"

Touya blinked. "Another girl?"

"I'll balance out my gender ratio later, for now…take me to Bel and Touko, Cheren!" I really wanted to see them…

Cheren led us to a hallway full of doors on the second floor of the Pokémon Center. Each door was labeled with a number. Cheren's room was at the end of the hallway, which meant that Bel and Touko were right in the room across from him. I quickly ran up to the door and started knocking on it.

Bel was the first to have greeted me at the door and when she realized who I was, she immediately pulled me into an almost spine-cracking hug.

"Heeey!" she exclaimed. "You're here!"

"Bel…can't…breathe…" Air…I need air, woman!

Bel blinked and loosened her hold on me. I breathed in and out as I tried to regain my lost oxygen. By now, Touko had walked out into the hallway to see what was up. She took one look at me and then turned to Bel.

"Bel!" she exclaimed. "What have I told you about hugging?"

Bel laughed awkwardly. "I'm sorry, but I'm just so happy! Everyone's here! It's just like before! We're all together again!"

Cheren blinked and asked, "Yeah, but for how long?"

Bel's cheerful expression dimmed as she frowned. I found myself frowning as well. I never liked it when Bel frowned or looked sad…I especially hated when she cried. Bel never did anything wrong, so when I see her cry or look sad, I can't help but get mad. And that is what I was currently feeling as I glared at Cheren.

"Cheren, you prick!" I snapped. "Would it bother you if you tried not to be a killjoy for once?"

Cheren adjusted his glasses and replied, "I was just asking a question…how long do you suppose it will be before we go our separate ways?"

…

…

No one answered or rather, no one wanted to answer that question. Not even Cheren, himself, whom had asked the question. However, he just made it much more difficult when he added, "We won't always be together."

…

…

"Heeey, what do you wanna do?" Bel suddenly asked as she smiled.

Oh, Bel…you loveable bubbly blonde…How I admire the way you bounce back…and not kill moments like _someone_ I know! I'm looking at you, Cheren!

Cheren just stared at me with the same blank expression on his face. "What is it?"

"Tomorrow afternoon…we battle," I said.

"Hmm…fine," Cheren said as he opened the door to his room. "Hey, Touya, do you want to room with me?"

Touya blinked and nodded. "Uh, sure…bye, girls! See you around!"

And with that, the guys left us girls alone…

"What happened to your hair?" Bel asked as she looked at me.

I blinked and tried to pull my baseball cap over my head. "Uh…"

Bel smiled widely and latched onto my arm. "You can room with us tonight! Here, I'll help you out with your hair!"

And looks like I'm rooming with Touko and Bel tonight…wait! Did Bel just offer to fix my hair? No! No!

"Get away from my hair, Bel!" I exclaimed. "Touko, help me~!"

Touko looked at us and entered the room, closing the door behind her with a sigh.

…

* * *

><p>AN End of chapter…well, here's chapter two. As you can see, it's another short chapter. Gah, I feel so empty putting up short chapters, but like the chapter before, I thought it felt right to end it here! DX

Yeah, OC is still nameless and we finally get to see a battle! And a rather crappy and short battle…yeah, no epic rival battles yet! Sorry, but I promise to make it up next chapter! I was planning on an epic battle, but then I decided to do what seemed right…show you the effects of a critical hit.

When done right, a critical hit is very much rewarding, but when not done right…it comes out very anticlimactic, which is what happened in the battle between Kairi and Ganon. Here's the first of our little notes…

(1) I'm sad to say that I actually know it's possible to trip over a shoe or remote from experience…

(2) Might as well point out that this story is sort of an AU of my Pokémon Black and White story, Our Last Pact, which just so happens to be an AU as well! XD It's an AU of an AU…get used to it! DX *gets bricked* Gah, the pain hurts so much…

(3) This is sort of realistic in terms of Pokémon, gameplay-wise. Some Pokémon end up having really bad defense, but then get a boost when they evolve.

(4) I always wondered why every Pokémon Trainer in the games wear some sort of hat. My explanation is that it is for hiding a bad hair day! :D It makes sense for me because, really, it takes time to fix your hair.

Anyways, this was chapter two and I have a request…READ MY A/N'S BEFORE YOU REVIEW! Please…

Anyways, you know the drill. NO FLAMES! Constructive criticism is always welcomed and reviews are nice so long as they aren't flames. Flames BURN…

Also, when you give constructive criticism, I look for advice, NOT LESSONS. Don't comment on my writing style because, really, I'm sticking with it no matter what and only I have a say in it if it changes.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Till next time, KD out! XD


	3. My Friend N!

When I opened my eyes, it was dark… I wondered why I even woke up. When did I go to sleep again? Oh, right after I showered and that was…what time is it?

"Are you awake?" a voice asked. It was Bel.

"I am now…what the heck? WAUGH!"

I immediately closed my eyes as the room suddenly brightened. My eyes…my eyes!

"Turn that damn light off!" I exclaimed as I pulled the blankets over my head.

Let me sleep…I got attacked by a pack of Patrat yesterday!

"Wake up!" another voice spoke as someone pulled the blankets off of me. That was definitely Touya.

I groaned and used my pillow to cover my face from the light. My eyes haven't adjusted to the brightness of the light!

"I'm up! Just turn off that fucking light!" I can't see for crying out loud!

"Bel, turn off the light…there, it's off."

I removed the pillow off my face and sat up in bed. "Agh…my head…what's going on?"

I yawned loudly and rubbed my eye. What time is it? It better be a reasonable time, otherwise, I'm going to kick something…

"There's something going on outside!" Bel replied. "Get up! Touko and Cheren are outside!"

I took one look at Bel and Touya, barely making out their silhouettes in the poorly lit room, and promptly decided to go back to sleep. I used the pillow to cover my face. Maybe if I stay still, they'll forget about me…

"Oh, for the love of Reshiram, get up!" Touya sounds angry—WHOA!

I am fully awake by now and I find myself looking up at the ceiling. The back of my head hurts from landing onto the floor…no thanks to Touya, who pulled me off my bed. The light flickers on, but this time, it doesn't blind me.

I sat up and rubbed the back of my head, wincing in pain as I felt a bump beginning to form. Just lovely…oh, and my hair seems to be a mess. I need to brush it…or just use my baseball cap to conveniently hide my bed hair. That sounds like a plan!

Too bad Touya had something else in mind as he just suddenly grabbed my wrist and dragged me out of the room. Not this again!

"Let me go!" I whined. "I'm not decent!"

"You're wearing a shirt and a pair of shorts…I think that's decent enough!" Touya, I hate you.

As Touya dragged me out of the Pokémon Center, I noticed that it was oddly empty inside… It was the exact opposite outside, though. A huge crowd of people practically swarmed the plaza, for what reason, I don't know…yet. There's something missing…Kairi!

"Where's my Oshawott?" I remember sharing my bed with the little otter thing…but what happened to her? I don't remember her being in bed when I was rudely woken up.

"Touko has her…" Touya replied as he stopped walking. He seemed to be looking around for something, but what—

"Over here!" Cheren called out to us.

Cheren was standing on the outer area of the crowd. Touko stood right next to him, holding two Oshawott in her arms.

"Kairi, my love!" I exclaimed as I dashed over to Touko.

…

I stared at Touko and the Oshawott in her arms. Which one was Kairi? My question was answered quickly as one of the Oshawott in Touko's arm started fidgeting around until it was sure it had caught my attention. Once I was looking at it, the Oshawott held out its arms to me.

"Osha!" it called out.

"Kairi?" I said, not sure if I had the right Oshawott.

The Oshawott smiled and nodded its head. Bingo! Found my Oshawott! Touko handed me my Oshawott and I immediately embraced the loveable little otter thing. Kairi sighed in content, a small blush tingeing her cheeks as I embraced her.

Touya and Bel finally joined us, adding more to the crowd that just seemed to grow bigger with each minute.

"What's going on and—that's your Oshawott?" My gaze focused on the Oshawott in Touko's arms.

"Oh, this is Ren!" she replied, smiling warmly at her Oshawott.

"Shh!" Cheren hissed. "Quit talking and pay attention! Look!"

I looked in the direction Cheren point me at and felt my heart begin to pound within my chest. Standing at the front of the town, was a group of what seemed to be medieval knights. They were standing a straight, horizontal line with a flag at each end. The flag was half-white and half-black in color and held a strange blue insignia in the shape of a 'P' on it.

My eyes widened as I stared at them. It couldn't be…no, it couldn't be…could it? I bit my lip as a tall, green-haired man walked out from behind the line of medieval knights. The man was dressed weirdly, even more in comparison to the medieval knights.

Suddenly, the man spoke. "My name is Ghetsis. I am here, representing Team Plasma."

Oh, I knew it! I knew it! It was another cult!

The man, Ghetsis, continued on. "Today, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to talk to you about Pokémon liberation."

I am so going to bitch about this to Mom and Dad and—Pokémon liberation? I wasn't the only one who was confused with that as other people in the crowd began to talk to one another.

"I sure most of you believe that we humans and Pokémon are partners that have come to live together because we want and need each other." That man…what the hell?

I softly tightened my hold on Kairi. I don't like where this is going…

"However…" Ghetsis said, suddenly pausing for a moment.

…

"Is that really the truth?" he asked. "Have you ever considered that perhaps we humans…only assume that this is the truth?"

I don't know! I really don't know…I don't have the experience to answer that. What is up with this man?

"Pokémon are subject to the selfish commands of Trainers… They get pushed around when they are our 'partners' at work… Can anyone say with confidence that there is no truth in what I'm saying?"

"Bullshit!" I blurted out.

Immediately, Touya clapped his hand over my mouth as eyes begin to look around. Fortunately, for Touya, I would say, no one figured it out that it was me who had said that. I decided to stay quiet and wait to see what else Ghetsis had to say.

Ghetsis seemed rather amused with my outburst, but continued on. "Now, ladies and gentlemen, Pokémon are different from humans."

I found my mouth being covered again by Touya's hand as he muffled back an outburst that would have been heard as, "No shit!"

"They are living beings that contain unknown potential." This is rather obvious, Ghetsis… "They are living beings from whom we humans have much to learn. Tell me, what is our responsibility toward these wonderful beings called Pokémon?"

I heard a small child answer, "Liberation?"

Ghetsis's expression brightened at the mere mention of the word. "That's right! We must liberate the Pokémon! Then, and only then, will humans and Pokémon truly be equals. Everyone, I end my words here today by imploring you consider the relationship between people and Pokémon…and the correct way to proceed."

I felt something within me completely snap as I suddenly bit down on Touya's hand. Touya yelped and immediately removed his hand from my mouth. I don't know what I was thinking as I suddenly found myself talking back to Ghetsis.

"Bullshit!" I yelled. "That is complete, utter bullshit!"

Everyone's eyes were on me, but I didn't give a damn. I don't like the message in Ghetsis's speech.

"If we liberate the Pokémon, what good does that do us?" I don't even know where I am even getting all of this. I am totally bullshitting this! "If we do that, are we really making Pokémon equals? Or are we just making them miserable? Have you ever thought once about your Pokémon's feelings?"

I can hear people muttering to each other as they question my words. I don't care about this, what I do care is that people aren't responding at all and just listening. What is wrong with them?

"I may not be an expert of understanding the emotions of Pokémon, not yet, but from what I know…Pokémon and humans…we're not really that different." I looked down at Kairi. "Pokémon have feelings, just like us…Don't do what you think is right! Do what you _feel_ is right! Let your Pokémon decide!"

My heart was pounding, my palms where sort of sweaty, and I never felt this worked up. What did I just do? I felt like crying…and I don't know why.

"Osha!"

I blinked as I looked at my Oshawott. Kairi smiled reassuringly at me. Did she understand everything I had just said?

"What do you think?" I asked her as I held her up. "Do you want to leave…or stay?"

Kairi responded with an, "Osha!"

I couldn't believe it…I really couldn't believe it. I held my Pokémon closer to myself, somewhat surprised to find Kairi nuzzling against me, affectionately. I felt somewhat emotional knowing that Kairi actually liked me… I took that answer she gave me as a "Stay". She didn't want to leave…and I'm actually glad. That's something I just realized…I'm glad she stayed. I need to go, now…

"I'm sorry…I have to go." I immediately ran from the crowd towards the Pokémon Center.

I don't want to talk to anybody…not like this. I rubbed my eye, my face beginning to heat up. I'm going to cry…I'm not sad or frustrated, just…happy.

"Thank you…Kairi."

"Osha!"

I sighed and looked up at the sky. What was I going to tell my parents? Wait a second…they kicked me out…should I even care what they think right now? I don't know, but for now…I think I'll go along with this journey thing…sure, I'll give it a try. Who knows? Maybe I'll even like it…

_Growl…_

Fuck you, stomach! You just ruined a moment! Gah…I'm hungry. Okay, I really need to know…what time is it?

"Are you okay?" a voice asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine—who are you?" I find myself staring at a young man with long, tea-green hair up in a ponytail.

Dat hair…why must everyone have better hair than mine…I mean, look at that ponytail…dat ponytail…Okay, that's enough of hair envy…now what am I doing talking to a guy I don't know?

"Osha?" Kairi said, tilting her head to the side.

The young man looked at my Pokémon curiously. "Hmm…that's interesting. I heard what you said back there."

I can feel my face heating up from embarrassment. "Oh, uh…about that…I'm sorry, I was just really, really tired. My friends woke me up and I got dragged out of the Pokémon Center by force."

"Osha!"

"Oh, and just yesterday, I got kicked out of my own house." I'm gonna get old say that…

The young man nodded. "I see…your Pokémon, just a while ago, it was saying…"

"You mean you understood her?" I was surprised…no really, I was.

"My name is N…" he said.

I stared at him. "N…your name is N…"

The young man nodded. "That's my name."

"I thought it was very unusual that people were naming their children after colors and gems, but now, this just takes the cake."

N blinked. "What?"

"Ha, is it really that hard for people to think up a name?" I really wonder that. "Is that REALLY even your name?"

"No, it's something else," N replied. "Everyone just calls me N, for short." (1)

I blinked. "Okay, that explains it…so why are you talking to me?"

"Because your Pokémon intrigues me…" Okay, N, you're creeping me out and—

_Growl…_

Fucking stomach… "Gah, I'm sorry, N, but I need to go and—you wouldn't happen to know what time is it, do you?"

"Uh, no…why?"

I looked down and sighed. "Never mind…I'm hungry. Let's go, Kairi…Cheren, Bel, Touko, and Touya are probably worried about us…"

"I can help you out there…I'll buy." This guy is just too damn friendly for his own good.

And the thing is…I can't refuse his offer. He just looks so sincere and—that look in his green eyes…they seem so…I don't know. They remind me so much…

_Growl!_

"Shut up, stomach!" I snapped.

…

…

Sometime later, N and I were at a diner, just talking as we waited for our food to arrive.

N was a really nice guy…very easy to talk to, and that is very strange for me. I usually have hard times striking up conversations with people I don't know or people older than me…except for children. I seem to get along with them better than adults. I guess it's because children don't judge as harshly or something, I really don't know.

N was currently messing with what seemed to be a Menger Sponge…heh, that's cool, I guess.

"You like math or something?" I asked.

"I like equations…" he replied.

"I don't…especially chemistry equations and physics can go to hell." I has bad experience with _science_! I blame my eighth grade science teacher for that… I also purposely made a grammatical error as I happen to be very good at grammar…when I _want_ to.

N looked surprised as he stared at me. "You don't?"

"I just don't like doing all that work…I'm good at math, it's just…I'm lazy." Yeah, I admit it…I'm lazy, but hey! It's by choice!

"Te…pig!" a voice called out.

I blinked and looked down under our table to see a Tepig. Heh…that's interesting, too. N looked under the table as well.

"What are you doing?" he asked curiously.

He reminds me a lot like a little kid…oh! Now I see why I can talk so easily to him! Eh, I don't mind…I think I like this guy! He gets me…and my Pokémon, Kairi…oh, crap, I forgot about Ivy! I feel horrible…

"Is that your Tepig?"

N nodded and picked up his Tepig. "Yes…he's mine."

"Oh…well, she's mine!" I said, grabbing Kairi and embracing her. "She's been with me since I first got kicked out of the house…she's all I got aside from a backpack full of items."

"Oh, that's sort of like me," N replied. "Only, my father just sent me off…I'm okay, though! I get to see the world this way!"

…

…

"You're sheltered, aren't you?"

"Is it that obvious?"

I rubbed the back of my head. "Well, sort of…you just have that vibe."

I kinda consider myself sheltered in comparison to my siblings, so I can relate to N.

"Everything you said back there, got me thinking…" N said as he set his Tepig on the table. "Are Pokémon really happy that way?"

"Which way…don't tell me you actually think that Ghetsis is right…" I really don't want to talk about that guy. "I get his point, it's just…if he's really thinking for the Pokémon, he should let them answer. It's really up to them whether or not they're happy with their Trainer. If a Pokémon isn't happy with their Trainer, they'll just ignore them or even attack them."

N nodded. "I see…what's with your hair?"

I let my forehead hit the table. "I didn't have time to brush it…it's horrible, isn't it?"

"No, I think it's okay…just a little wild." N, you are definitely a nice guy.

Okay, I really need to fix my hair… "Kairi, use Water Gun on my hair and I don't care if it's strong, just do it…I can take it!"

It takes me until I hit the ground to realize my little otter thing is really strong…and that Water Gun is _cold_!

…

"Ha…N, does my hair look better?" I just finished smoothing out my hair a bit, hopefully, it looks much tamer.

N looked at me and nodded. "Yeah…you have pretty hair."

"I'm thinking of getting it cut…" I like short hair and now that I'm on the road, might as well start doing things I usually need my parents' permission for!

Ooh, I might even get a tattoo—no, that's waaay too far and I don't even like tattoos. Yeah, I'm just going to stick to cutting my hair and making it really short! Though, it will be a bother to keep maintained…eh, I'll make it worthwhile.

"Why?" N asked.

I looked at N questioningly. "Well…not everyone has hair like yours—can I touch it?"

N blinked and nodded. "Yeah…"

I reached out for N's hair and ran my hand through his ponytail. Wow…his hair…I'm jealous. Why must a guy have much better hair than a girl? Sometimes life isn't fair…and I really want to know what hair products he uses… His hair is soft…and fluffy…

"I wish I had hair like yours…what do you use?"

"Uh…I can't remember…"

Damn, there goes my attempt at trying to be girly by buying hair products to make me look better…eh, whatever.

"Are you going to stop touching my hair?" N asked.

"Just give me one more minute…"

…

…

I feel much better after eating and now, all I have to do is take my medication—which I left in my backpack, something I don't have on me right now. Eh, I'll deal with that later…for now, N.

"Hey, N…are you a new Trainer?" I really want to know…

N looked at me questioningly. "Trainer…oh, yeah, I guess…and you?"

I huffed. "Yes, but not by choice…"

"Huh?"

"I was kicked out of the house as an incentive to become a Trainer…"

N nodded. "And how's that going so far?"

"It's actually working…but I still don't like it." I just want my videogames back… "I have so many expectations to fulfill…do you have any idea how much it sucks to have older siblings who became better Trainers than your Mom and Dad?"

"I'm an only child and I don't know if I even have a Mom…"

…

…

"Okay, that was pointless!" I officially have no clue how to explain this to N. By the way, that was effing depressing to hear.

"Say, will you let me hear your Pokémon's voice?"

I looked perplexed at N. "Wha…? You want to battle me…is that it?"

N nodded. "If that's what it takes…"

"How many Pokémon do you have?"

"Two…" he replied, taking out another Poké ball.

"Okay, I'll battle you…but use your other Pokémon." I don't want to battle another Tepig just yet… "My Oshawott knows Water Gun and I don't think it's fair to put her up against your Tepig…"

N nodded and released the Pokémon inside his Poké ball. I stared in awe at the purple-furred, green-eyed feline Pokémon that stood up on its hind legs.

"Purr!" it said.

It was a Purrloin…cute! But I don't care much for felines…I blame my brother's Glameow for that… That thing attacked my leg!

I took out my Pokédex to check out the information on this purple cat Pokémon. What I didn't expect was for N to practically attack me! He was holding my right wrist rather harshly…gah!

"What is it with everyone aiming for my right wrist?" I whined. "First Touya, now you…what's your problem?"

I froze when I saw the look in N's eyes. They looked so…_cold_.

"Many, many of my friends were shut up in Poké balls…" he replied. "The Pokédex is a machine made for collecting data on Pokémon."

"No shit, please let go of me…" I get the feeling I'm going to get a bruised wrist from this…

Fortunately, for me, N did release my wrist…gah, it hurts! I think I just lost N's respect from this…aww, and I thought we were going to be good friends.

"Pokémon get captured just to fulfill the desire of completing the Pokédex…" N explained. "They are then 'locked up' in those Poké balls. Isn't that what happens?"

I looked perplexed at N. "I really don't know…I just started out. I'm not doing this for research or anything, I just want to earn the right to go back home…"

N looked at me and nodded. "Very well…sorry about that…"

"You know, if you didn't like Pokédexes, you could've just told me…" I mean, we could've avoided all of this… "So are we going to battle?"

N nodded. "Sure…Purrloin, use Night Slash."

My eyes widened as I watched N's Purrloin unsheathe its claws. Its claws glowed red and the first thing Purrloin did with them, was attack Kairi. Fucking hell! That Purrloin knows Night Slash…that means that Purrloin has either been through some breeding to gain hereditary moves or it was of high level, either one sucked and the latter earns my hatred the most as Night Slash had a high critical-hit ratio!

"Survive, survive, survive!" Please, for the love or Arceus, survive that hit!

Kairi avoided the attack and tackled Purrloin right after.

"You can also do that!" Oh, you glorious little otter thing…you are so getting a treat after this! "Uh, what other moves do you know?"

Ya know, my oldest brother would so face-palm at me for asking that question during a battle. Why? Because this is something I should know beforehand, as he would so lovingly point out. Okay, if my memory recalls, I can use my Pokédex to figure out my Pokémon's moves and—

"N, do you mind if I take out my Pokédex to figure out my Pokémon's moves?"

"Yes…" he said.

"Will you attack me if I take it out?"

"I can't say for sure…"

Well, I guess I have to BS this! All right, let's see how my luck fares…wait, my Oshawott is the spawn of my brother-in-law's Samurott! Let's see if Kairi knows any good breeding moves!

"Night Slash!" I hope to Arceus you know that move…

If memory recalls, my brother-in-law's Samurott is female and he owns a male Zoroark…luck, please be with me! I bit my lip and watched as Kairi took off the shell on her chest and held it out as it began to glow red. No fricken' way…my brother-in-law made his Zoroark the daddy!

"Kairi, we are so giving your father the best father's day present ever for this!" Poor Kairi looked so confused from that comment…

Kairi used her shell to slash at Purrloin. Purrloin took that hit, but, if I can recall my knowledge of this purple cat thing…the move was not effective since Purrloin is also a Dark-type. That was a pointless attack, but still! It was worth it and the discovery was just awesome…

Purrloin's fur bristled as it stared at Kairi. "Purr…"

Okay, I know that look…it's pissed off and it's ready to attack… "Kairi, for the love of Reshiram, dodge!"

Kairi blinked and exclaimed as she barely dodged a sharp Slash. Kairi stared at Purrloin nervously. "Osha…"

"Uh…uh…what moves…moves…Water Gun!" I am definitely going to earn hatred from this Purrloin, but I don't care!

A powerful jet of water shot out of Kairi's mouth at Purrloin. Purrloin hissed as the water hit its body. After Kairi stopped her Water Gun attack, Purrloin was soaked to the bone. The first reaction out the feline Pokémon was to start grooming itself—why did I expect this?

I have seriously been messing around with my third oldest brother's Glameow too much…or I just read a lot—yeah, it's probably that because my brother's Glameow hates me when I get too affectionate with him and I can't even imagine what he'll do if I sprayed him with a hose…

I most likely would get slashed and there is a difference between getting scratched and slashed… Getting slashed hurts more than scratched!

"Okay, Kairi, use Tackle!" I'm hoping for a hard hit, here!

Unfortunately, I was surprised with an attack on Kairi in the form of a Sucker Punch. That Purrloin's move set is waaay too high…that's bad for me. Okay, gotta just keep BS-ing this battle!

"Night Slash!" I called out.

Kairi moved towards Purrloin for a Night Slash and earned another Sucker Punch in response. Kairi kept her ground and managed to initiate a successful Night Slash. Now I just hope for the best and see if that was a critical hit.

We need a hit! A critical hit! We need a hit! A critical—I need to take my meds. I bit my lip as I kept watch on N's Purrloin. I waited a few seconds and practically exclaimed when I saw his purple cat thing hit the ground with spirals in his eyes. We won…

"Oh, my god, Kairi, we won!" I dashed over to Kairi and picked up the little loveable otter thing in an embrace. "We won! We won~! That was awesome! You were like all strong and everything and you know Night Slash—your daddy's a Zoroark!"

Kairi blinked. "Osha?"

"I'll explain the whole breeding process when you're old enough, sweetie." I rather not corrupt this little otter thing's innocent little mind…oh, you're so cute, yes you are— "Yes?"

I looked at N as he stared at me. "What?"

"I never expected to hear Pokémon say such things…"

I looked sternly at Kairi after hearing that comment. "Kairi, what have I told you about language?"

"Osha…" I blinked at Kairi's response.

"Oh, right…haven't gone over that, well—screw it!" I don't give a damn about language! "Just don't make yourself look stupid, okay?"

"I wasn't talking about that," N said.

I looked at N perplexed. "What?"

N reached into his pocket and pulled out a few bills. He counted the bills before reaching into his pocket to pull out a few more. After counting seven bills in total, he handed them to me.

"Huh?" Why is he handing me money? "Seven-hundred Pokédollars?"

"You beat me, fair and square." N replied.

I blinked and nodded as I remembered that the winner gets paid in Pokémon battles…however, I handed N back his money.

"Keep it…you paid for our food." I kinda feel rather indebted from eating food I didn't pay for…

N nodded and pocketed the money. "As long as Pokémon are confined in Poké balls…Pokémon will never become perfect beings."

"Perfect?" I repeated. "N, there's no such thing as perfection…it's just a word."

At least it is in my opinion because for me, perfection does not like me.

N seemed to have ignored me. "I have to change the world for Pokémon, because they're my friends…I have to go. See you around…I guess."

N turned to his Purrloin and returned it back into its Poké ball. He then knelt down to pick up his Tepig. Afterwards, N started to walk away from me.

"Good luck with that!" I exclaimed.

"There you are!"

I blinked and turned to see Touya, whom looked very distressed. "What is it?"

"Where have you been? Are you hurt? Who was that man?" Geez, Touya, what's wrong with you?

"I'm okay and that was my friend, N!" I'm ignoring the whole wrist grab incident since I like N! He's a nice guy and he got me food…

"He didn't do anything funny to you, did he?" Touya asked, looking at me very concerned.

I stared blankly at Touya. "He's not like that, Touya…he's a nice guy! Plus! He's a good battler!"

Ignoring the fact he grabbed my wrist…

"Oh, never mind, then…let's go back to the Pokémon Center," Touya said, rubbing the back of his head.

"By the way, what happened while I was gone?" I need to know that.

"Uh, nothing much…and Touko, Cheren, and Bel already left."

"Oh…by the way, I won that battle with N and guess what?" Touya looked at me curiously. "Kairi's father is a Zoroark!"

"Did you take your meds?" He looked at me funny.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "No, but I'll get to that later! Though, really, I'm telling the truth! My brother-in-law made his Zoroark the daddy and his Samurott the mommy!"

"Oh, breeding moves…I see…let's go then…your hair looks better."

"Kairi helped me fix it." And what's funny is that she ruined my straight hair just yesterday! Man, I love my little otter thing!

…

* * *

><p>AN End of chapter and yet another short chapter...sorry! DX

Anyways, in this chapter, we meet N…and here's the thing about N. Originally, he was planned to have battle Touko first, but OC managed to stray off my intended path and strike a friendship earlier than expected with N…yeah, N's still going to battle Touko, I mean, I gotta still keep to the game plot!

Also, it turns out, our OC had the balls to do something that should have been done during Ghetsis's speech… I mean, really, I'm kinda surprised no one spoke their mind during that speech, but I won't get into that.

And the thing about Night Slash…it just suddenly came to me and it was helped out when I looked at Oshawott's page on Bulbapedia…oh, how I love thee, Bulbapedia…

Anyways, Night Slash is a breeding move for Oshawott and Zoroark just so happens to be on the list of potential daddies able to pass on this move to their spawn! :D I love the way I use the word spawn, here! XD

Also, N…I kinda love the way I portrayed him in this chapter. He's nice, but he's also got a dark side…and in this chapter, OC didn't take her meds…well, not yet, but yeah! Also...

(1) It's funny because N isn't really his name! Well, his full name! :D Go to Bulbapedia~! Also, I used Pokemon Adventures Black and White as a reference for N's little behavior...yeah, that be Pokemon Adventures, there!

Oh, and about that thing involving me not taking my meds…I'm not sure, but I was oddly calm. I either did take my meds, but I forgot if I did or didn't, or I was just having a good no meds day… Yeah, I really don't know…I'll try again later! :D

Oh, and as you can see…I showed you guys the critical hit that is rewarding! :D And hey! My excuse is that the move has a high critical-hit ratio! Yup! ^^ Oh, and if you didn't know, BS means bullshit! :B

Now you know the drill…NO FLAMES! Constructive criticism is welcomed, so long as you don't tell me how to do stuff! I like advice, not lessons…and reviews equal love! Unless reviews are flames, then…sad face. :(

Hoped you enjoy this chapter! Till next time, KD out! XD


	4. Screwing up!

I was in the bathroom, brushing my hair when suddenly, I remembered something. "Goddammit!"

Touya immediately rushed into the bathroom. "What's wrong?"

"Cheren left before I was able to battle him!" And I _so_ wanted to beat the crap out of him for making Bel sad!

"You can always get him at Striaton City…you done brushing your hair yet?"

I looked at myself in the mirror. My hair was sort of more…tamer and actually looked normal, so I guess… "Yeah, I'm done!"

Now where's my baseball cap that conveniently hides a bad hair day?

"Osha!"

I turned to my Oshawott, who was currently holding up my baseball cap. I really love this little otter thing…she's so reliable and—I'm forgetting about Ivy again!

"Gah, Ivy!" I dashed over to my backpack and pulled out Ivy's Poké ball.

I released the Grass Snake Pokémon from her Poké ball and smiled nervously at her as she stared at me with those red eyes of her.

"Snivy sni!" Oh, she's pissed…

"I got dragged out of my room this morning—what time is it?" I looked at Touya.

Touya looked back at me as he took off his cap. "My X-Transceiver doesn't have a clock function yet…now I'm going to take a shower. Don't hurt yourself while I'm gone…"

And with that, he closed the bathroom door. Oh, Touya…you never fail to earn my hatred. How am I going to hurt myself while you shower? Whatever…crap, Ivy!

"Look, Ivy, I'll make it up to you…"

Ivy crossed her arms and looked at me questioningly. "Sni?"

Uh…how exactly can I make it up to her? Wait a second… "Say, do you have any favorite foods?"

Ivy perked up. "Vee?"

Ten minutes later, I found myself buying a piece of cake for Ivy at the Nuvema Town's local patisserie. And it was not just any piece of cake, but a piece of _red velvet_ cake. Dear Arceus, this Pokémon has a penchant for expensive stuff! Luckily for her, I decided to screw one piece and get the whole cake because I also love red velvet cake. I wonder if Kairi likes it as well…

I left Kairi at the Pokémon Center to get checked out, something which I should have done earlier when I got back to the Center, but I didn't. Yet another thing my oldest brother would face palm at me for…

"Just what time is it?" I find myself asking that question again.

Gah, I'm never going to get an answer…I regret leaving my X-Transceiver at home, now! I also regret being too lazy to take the X-Transceiver out of its packaging. Well, time to go back to the Pokémon Center…

"Okay, Ivy…today, we shall eat like queens…" Or something like that…red velvet cake rules!

…

I was sharing a bit of my piece of red velvet cake to Kairi when Touya walked out of the bathroom. Touya looked at me weirdly as he toweled his hair and if you were wondering, yes, he's dressed, otherwise I would have screamed. I'm not exactly keen on seeing my best friend half-naked...not that I have ever seen him that way before outside from the time he's in swimwear... Okay, time to focus on something else before a mental image pops up... Arceus knows the last thing I need is a mental image of Touya-this cake is delicious!

"Where did you get that cake?"

"I bought it, duh!" I said as I stuffed a forkful of cake into my mouth.

Touya did not look amused… "No need to be a smartass."

I rolled my eyes at him and swallowed. "What? You want some? There's plenty enough to go around…hell! Scruffy and Ganon can have some as well!"

Pokémon can eat the same foods we humans can eat. That is a fact…and just like humans, they also have preferences…like Ivy has!

Touya just stared at me. "You're going to get fat if you eat too much…well, fatter."

"Fuck you…" I retorted as I stuffed another forkful of cake into my mouth. "I'm not that fat, I'm just overweight…"

"And the difference is?" I swear to Arceus, Touya, you're _this_ close to feeling my fist on your face…

"Forget it…" I'm not going to beat you up…you'll just use your judo techniques on me again.

Touya narrowed his eyes and immediately snatched my plate out of my hands.

"Hey! I was eating that!"

"Not anymore…here, Kairi…" Touya handed Kairi my plate.

I looked at Kairi and sighed as I watched her start eating it. I might as well just let Kairi eat it…this _is_ her treat for being such a glorious little otter thing. And there's still more cake left!

"So, do you want any cake or not? I spent a lot of money buying this!" I'm not kidding…I spent almost a quarter of my money on that cake…it's a very delicious and good cake, though! And the cake isn't a lie! Take that, GLaDOS! Though, it is the wrong type of cake...eh, whatever!

Touya shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

And so we had cake! Well, Touya did…all I got was an empty plate since I made a miscalculation with cake proportions. I don't mind…at least I got _something_…even if I only did get one piece…

But I didn't finish that piece—okay, I'm pissed. "Touya, you owe me a slice of red velvet cake!"

Touya stared at me as he ate his cake. "I'll get you a pie."

"Tempting, but no…unless it's peach, then okay, but otherwise, I want a red velvet cake." I'm so picky…

"So you'd rather have one slice of cake then a whole pie?" Touya asked.

"Uh…hold on…it better be peach, then!" I swear, if you give me apple, I will throw it at your face. It's not that I don't like apple pie, but I just want peach pie…

…

…

I still had no clue what time it was, but as far as I can say, it's at least noon…judging by the position of the sun in the sky and assuming I am correct about solar positions or whatever it was called…bleh.

Touya and I were making our way out of Accumula Town now that we were prepared. I held Kairi in my arms and Ivy stood on my shoulder…yeah, she didn't want to go back in the Poké ball. I think she's still sore about me accidentally forgetting her…not my fault my short attention span limits me to remembering certain things at times…

Anyways, I got potions, antidotes…all the good stuff that Touya and I can afford without a badge because we're still inexperienced! Oh, and food…because where we're going, it's at least a two-day trip…assuming we don't get lost on our way through Route 2, which is quite possible.

Thankfully, I have a map and Touya is one of those guys who ask for directions (as my sister would put it) since I don't because I can't be bothered to ask for anything on my own. Touya says I need to learn to be more social, just like the rest of my family says…with people. I'm quite social with Pokémon, actually. I mean, Kairi likes me! I'm still happy about that, anyways…

New goal set: learn to be more social…with people.

Pfft, that's going to take a while. I'll just stick to befriending Pokémon…right after knocking them out and catching them in these lovely Poké balls Touya bought me along with this neat little Trainer belt.

I feel happy…too bad I won't be wearing that belt because I hate belts… They're inconvenient and I don't need them…but I do need to carry my Poké balls… Eh, I have pockets in these pants…they need to be used.

"Are you paying attention?" Touya asked me.

"What?" What just happened?

Touya stared at me with a blank expression on his face and sighed. "Ganon…count yourself lucky that she isn't your Trainer."

Ganon tilted his head to the side as he looked up at Touya. "Te?"

Kairi seemed to take offense from that comment as she suddenly released a jet of water from her mouth at Touya. She just attacked Touya with Water Gun…without my order.

"What the hell!" Touya exclaimed as he stared at me wide-eyed, dripping wet. "I just took a shower!"

I stuttered a bit before pointing at Kairi. "Don't look at me…she did it."

Touya looked at Kairi and shook his head. "Already, she's taking after her Trainer…right, Ganon?"

Ganon nodded his head in agreement. "Te!"

"Ganon, you barely know me!" And that's a fact!

"Yeah, but I think he at least knows most of your, ah…notable traits." Touya remarked.

Well, you do make a good point… "And what do you mean by notable?"

"Do I even have to answer that?" Touya replied as bent down to pick up Ganon. "Anyways, let's change the subject…"

RING! RING! RING!

"Hey, Touya…your X-Transceiver's ringing." I wonder who it could be.

Touya stood up and held out his left wrist to answer his X-Transceiver. I leaned in to his side, my gaze focused on the X-Transceiver's screen. I feel nosy…

The screen flashed momentarily before projecting an image of a woman who looked very much like an older version of Touko, right down to the ponytail, just not as epic and fluffy. It was Touya and Touko's mother, Monta!

"_**Hey, it's Mom!" **_she exclaimed. _**"How's it going? Did ya catch any Pokémon yet?"**_

Touya looked at his mother for a few seconds before replying, "Uh, no…I wouldn't say I caught her, but I do now own a female Lillipup named Scruffy…I also now own two Pokémon."

Monta arched her brow. _**"Whatcha mean by that?"**_

Touya directed his mother towards me. "She knows…"

"Hey, Monta!" I exclaimed. "Your son managed to motivate me to be somewhat more willing to come along on this journey by putting his Snivy's ownership on the line in a battle between us! The deal was that, no matter the outcome, both the winner and loser had to keep going on their journey. I won that battle, by the way…oh, and if you're wondering…I walked into that deal before hearing out the rest of the terms."

"_**Well, that explains it…"**_ Monta said, almost as if she completely expected this to happen. Is it just me or am I really that predictable…? Or something like that?

"I'm very fortunate she didn't wait to hear me out, otherwise, I'd still be dragging her by the wrist…" Touya remarked. "Also, I'm actually glad she owns Snivy…better her, than me."

Ivy looked at Touya and turned away from him in a snobbish manner. "Sni!"

"Touya, as Ivy's Trainer, I'd like to say…shut up." No one messes with my Snivy! "You're just jealous she likes me better!"

"She bit my hand!" Touya countered.

"I wonder why!" Really, I do…unfortunately, my tone sounded rather rude and there was a bit of an unintentional implication in my comment.

And that is why Touya was now glaring at me. "Why you…"

Monta laughed nervously. _**"Let's try to get along, now…Touya, stop."**_

Touya stopped glaring at me and diverted his gaze on his mother. "Okay…"

Monta nodded her head and smiled. _**"Anyways, **__**are you starting to realize how fun it is to get along with Pokémon yet? Sorry! I just wanted to try out your friend's X-Transceiver, by the way, it works just fine!"**_

"Why do you have my X-Transceiver?" Wasn't that like…in my room? "Monta, were you in my room?"

Monta laughed. _**"Yeah, I was and before you ask, I'll explain it in a bit! Right now, I'm headed your way! Actually, I'm almost above you!"**_

"What?" My brain tries to process what I have just been told only to get a "does not compute" reaction. I am so confused…

Touya looked at his mother questioningly. "How?"

Monta closed her eyes and smiled as she simply answered, _**"Fly…look up!"**_

Her previous comment finally clicked into place when I looked up and saw Monta flying just above us with the help of a majestic-looking, bird Pokémon with a beautiful white plumage. Monta was hitching a ride on a bird Pokémon, specifically, her Swanna.

Oh, my Arceus…she brought Aqua… I love that Swanna! Well, any bird Pokémon in general…I like bird Pokémon. They're fluffy and they are quite useful to have on a team, as far as I have been told by my siblings. I don't care…I just like bird Pokémon, which is why I have an encyclopedia of bird Pokémon in my bookshelf back at home.

Anyways, where was I? Oh, right! I was fawning over Monta's lovely Swanna…

"Oi…you're staring," Touya said.

I blinked and turned to Touya. "Huh?"

Touya sighed and face palmed. "Nothing…"

…

…

After Aqua made her landing on the ground right in front of us, Monta hopped off her Swanna and took off the small backpack she was wearing. She opened the backpack and started looking around for something inside.

"My sister told me to deliver something she forgot to give Touya yesterday before he left with you…" Monta explained, smiling as she pulled out two rectangular cases of some sort. "Found ya!"

I blinked as I stared at the cases. Both looked exactly the same except for one thing…one of the cases was light blue and black whilst the other was pink and black. I had a feeling already what these were, but the thing that bothered me was that I had yet another feeling that I was getting the pink case.

"Those are badge cases, aren't they?" I've seen my share of cases…I thank my siblings and parents for that.

Monta looked at me and smiled. "Why, yes they are! Here you go!"

…

I narrowed my eyes at the pink and black case in my possession. I knew it…feh, I wanted blue. I diverted my attention on Touya and stared at his blue and black case, somewhat jealous. Touya seemed to have noticed my case-envy as he sighed and took my case, switching it out with his.

"Here you go." Touya…you are one good friend.

"Thank you…" I feel happy…

"Anyways, here's your X-Transceiver," Monta suddenly said, holding out the device to me. "Your mother asked me to give this to you, seeing as you left it home. I'm surprised it was still in its packaging."

I could feel Touya's stare on me. I laughed nervously in response. "Well…"

Monta laughed and shook her head. "It's okay! Well…here you go!"

Monta handed me my X-Transceiver and helped me put it on my left wrist. The first thing I did before anything else was check the time. It was just fifteen minutes past noon. Eh, I was right about the time…hey! I finally know the time! About damn time…gah…

"Anyways, before I leave…do you guys need anything else?" Monta asked us.

Let me think…I got potions, money, my dear companion Pokémon, and clothes, along with an extra pair of shoes…

"I think I'm good!"

Monta blinked and reached into her backpack. "That reminds me…I think you might want this."

I stared at Monta, perplexed as she held out a small, blue bag. "Huh?"

"Don't open it just yet…" she said as I took the bag. Her expression changed as she seemed to have noticed something wrong with me. "What happened to your hair? Why isn't it in its usual ponytail?"

Oh, that's right! I need hair ties… "I have nothing to tie it up with…but I'm good! I have a hat!"

Monta looked at me and laughed. "I guess you're right…well, see ya around! And Touya…be nice."

With that said, Monta mounted her Swanna and within a few minutes, the two were now airborne and heading back home to Nuvema Town. I wish I can go back home…

"Let's get going," Touya said as he grabbed onto my right wrist.

I was unable to suppress a pained yelp and thus, earned a rather concerned look from Touya.

"What's wrong?" Touya looked at me and then at my wrist, his eyes widening at the bruise ringing my wrist. "What is this? What is _this_? Where did this come from?"

Uh…should I tell him the truth and face him hating N or lie, and later, earn his hate when he finds out the truth? Talk about being caught between a rock and a hard place…wait a minute! I remember something!

"I forget…" I have a habit of getting bruises and forgetting where or when I got them. Hopefully, Touya buys this.

"You're not in an abusive relationship with someone, are you?" Touya asked, eyeing me suspiciously.

Oh, _hell_ no…he did not just ask _that_. "Touya, when have I ever been in a relationship, aside from friendship, with anyone?"

"You do make a point…but still, where did you get this?" Touya was now giving me _that _look.

Immediately, I closed my eyes and yelled, "Stop staring into my soul! If anything, it was probably _you_ when you _dragged_ me around yesterday by the _wrist_!"

…

…

Touya released my wrist and I opened my eyes. He looked rather awkward right now. "Oh…oh…sorry…"

His face was a bit red, probably from embarrassment…it was kinda cute, but now's not the time to be thinking such things. I think I might have made Touya uncomfortable…I feel bad.

"Look, let's just go…I want to get to Striaton City fast." I want my Gym Badge! The faster I get my first one, the more likely I might be able to get home quickly! I have a videogame that I am almost done with that needs to be finished…

Hey, I wonder what is in this bag Monta gave me… I opened the bag and squealed. "No way!"

Touya stared at me, almost as if there was something wrong with me. "What is it?"

"It's my DS!" My very first handheld console…and there are my games in this bag…and—oh my Arceus…MY PSP! This could not get any—my chargers!

"Touya, I love your mother…can I have her?" She'd be like the best mom…not that I hate my own mother, but she kicked me out of the house, so I currently have mixed feelings about her…

Touya just stared at me. Shrugging, I decided that I didn't need my games right now. The time is not right…but first!

"Ivy…Kairi…seeing as I now have my games…I shall teach you the ways of gaming and introduce you to _Final Fantasy_, starting with _Crisis Core_." Oh, we are so going to have so much fun and, hopefully, I'll finish that game! "And when we get home…I'll teach you guys how to think with portals! But for now…all I have is—oh, my god! She found my _Final Fantasy VI_! I can finally attempt to finish it!"

Forget _Crisis Core_, I'm teaching my Pokémon the awesomeness that is my girl, Terra Branford. Well, I'll do that once the time is right. For now...to the bag you go, my games! With Ivy's help, the blue bag was quickly stuffed into my backpack without me having to take it off or put Kairi onto the ground. Ivy knows how to zip and unzip my backpack…and is such a good help with putting items into my backpack! She is such a sweetie!

"You are getting another slice of red velvet cake when we head to Striaton City…assuming it has a pâtisserie. If not, I'll just get you something good."

Ivy replied with a very content, "Sni!"

It took me a full five minutes to realize Touya had been quiet the whole entire time I was speaking to Ivy and Kairi. By then, he finally said something. "I swear to Zekrom, if I find you screwing up your sleep because of that, I'm calling my Mom so she can take those back."

I immediately distanced myself from Touya and hissed at him. Yes, I actually hissed at Touya. I do that when I see or hear something that I hate. Kairi looked up at me, somewhat confused, and Ivy looked amused. Touya just stared at me blankly.

I backed up a few steps as Touya started moving. I watched him closely as he knelt down to set Ganon onto the ground. He was up to something…whatever it was, bring it!

Touya stood up and focused his attention on me. "…Give me the bag."

My eyes widened at that request. "NO~!"

It's my only form of entertainment! I don't have my _Hunger Games_ books on me, so my games are all I have of entertainment as of now! And I _really_ want to show my Pokémon the joys of gaming! Also, _Hunger Games_…that reminds me…I still haven't finished reading the last book! That also reminds me of another thing! I left it at home. Great…I wonder if Striaton City has a bookstore and—oh geez!

I immediately dodged Touya's attempts at tackling me to the ground. This resulted in Touya landing on the ground, face-first. I just got my electronics back! Like _hell_ am I going to let you take it away from me!

"Kairi, Water Gun this punk!"

Kairi obeyed me and spat a jet of water at Touya. With Touya stunned momentarily and still on the ground, I took this chance to run…

…

…

I have no idea how long I've been running, but all I know is that I _cannot_ stop. I don't know if Touya is right behind me and I would rather not check…looking back would slow me down. My heart is racing and my chest is hurting. Oh, dear Arceus, my lungs are on fire!

Must…resist…slowing down…gah… "Ivy, please tell me if Touya is right behind us."

I felt Ivy shift on my shoulder before responding with a, "Sni."

I took a deep breath and sighed as I began to gradually slow down my pace. I was now walking, though somewhat briskly, resisting the urge to completely stop walking altogether and just plop down onto the ground. Touya might still be on my case. I need to be able to quickly keep running, otherwise I'm screwed.

I'm scared…really, I am. I have no idea what I just did, and all I know is that Touya is pissed off. Maybe I shouldn't have ordered Kairi to Water Gun him…too late for that, though!

"What time is it?" I held up my X-Transceiver. "It's almost 13:00."

I'm rather used to the 24-hour format and I'd rather not mess around with my X-Transceiver too much…wait a second…

"Doesn't Touya like…have my number?"

RING! RING! RING!

Oh, crap…okay, just ignore it and everything— "Ivy, what are you doing!"

Ivy had her arms crossed as she used one of her vines to press a button on my X-Transceiver. She seemed to have realized a bit too late that I didn't want anything to do with my ringing X-Transceiver when she saw the look of horror on my face. I felt my heart nearly stop when I saw Touya's image appear on the screen of my X-Transceiver. Oh, I am so screwed…he definitely looks so mad and not amused… I am going to die.

Ivy and Kairi seemed to have sensed my distress as they tried to comfort me. It would have worked…if Touya didn't sound so _mad_ in his call!

_**"Just wait until I get my hands on you…"**_ he said rather darkly. _**"I don't know what the hell you were thinking, or where you are right now…but I will find you and I will get you back for what you did to me! You hear me—"**_

Ivy used her vine to press the same button she pressed earlier. This resulted in Touya getting cut off before he can say, what I think was going to be, my name. Ivy looked sheepishly at me.

"S-Sni…" she said.

I nodded along in response. "Yeah, I didn't get that too clearly…a little too much static."

Kairi blinked. "Osha…"

"Kairi…I'm trying to blank out Touya's response…please don't bring it up…"

Kairi nodded her head. "Osha!"

I sighed. "Thank you…"

…

…

I am scared…terrified, more like it. The sky was beginning to grow dark and I have yet to encounter Touya… It was getting late and just now, I realized I was on my own. There was no one to help me out this time…was this what my family has been through? I really am spoiled…

I never liked being on my own…and now, I have no choice. I brought this onto myself when I hissed at Touya and made Kairi use Water Gun on him to run… Why can't I ever make things easy for myself? Why do I keep screwing up?

"Did I even take my meds?" I haven't…and frankly, I don't care. It's too late to take them and I can't use my irresponsibility as an excuse…all of this is my fault. I know it is...

"Sni!"

I looked at Ivy, noticing that she seemed concerned. With Ivy, I was used to putting up with her usually stoic, if not, cool expressions for the most part as she never broke out of character. It's not like I have any problems with that, it's just...I have yet to see her like this. I'm surprised that this Snivy was the same one I won off of Touya in a deal I walked into…the very same Snivy that bit Touya's hand. I guess she really does like me...I felt happy and reassured knowing this, or at least thinking this. I'm a bit optimistic now and I couldn't help but smile. I had another friend looking out for me...and that friend was Ivy.

"It's okay, Ivy…I'm sure we'll work this out…" Hopefully, we will…

* * *

><p>AN End of chapter…yeah, it's been a while. Also…gah, the shortness of this chapter burns! DX Date of update: 4-14-12

OC: "At least you updated…"

I know, but I feel like I could add more to this…but I felt right here was good. Also, for the hiatus…with the upcoming new Pokémon games Black 2 and White 2, I decided to put this fic on hiatus to figure out if the next game was a sequel or just a remake… It's a sequel, two years after Black and White…also, I just LOVE how the female player Trainer looks like! :D Those buns…that's all…

OC: "Expect a Black 2 and White 2 fic from KD."

XD You know me! Heh...

OC: "..."

Also, Tae Kwon Do can really get me tired out and busy since I have classes three times a week…BTW, I started Tae Kwon Do on 3-14-12 and as of 3-30-12, I'm a yellow belt…yeah… Teacher says that means I have even MORE responsibility…

Fridays are sparring days and 4-13-12…I got my first compliment from the teacher because I did well sparring that day! :D I'm getting my red tape for it…sorry, just wanted to let it out.

Anyways, let's get to where this chapter counts, shall we? This chapter…yeah, I didn't know where to go with this. I guess it had to do with OC having a clear revelation on what it means to actually be on your own. She also realizes the consequences of her impulses…I think she might be maturing a bit, but not much.

Also, to clear things up about OC's ADHD, medicine and for the sake of me getting over my RAGE on this comment from **Farla** from her blog, which happens to have the review she sent me and my reply to it. This was a reply to another comment, which I won't bother posting because I'm focusing on **Farla**… I don't like her because of this comment and this is the only time I will EVER show my dislike to her in this manner that might as well make me as bad as HER (and not to mention, an ass). I mean, I'm posting responses and stuff for people to see…that's exactly what she does…yeah…I'm a hypocrite… DX Anyways, here's the comment:

* * *

><p>(<strong>Farla<strong>:

Well, they did explain the weight thing in the Author post.

_Please keep that in mind and about the weight thing...it's not gonna become an eating disorder. The situation is that the OC's sister is worried about the conditions that might come with being overweight like high cholesterol or heart problems._

Or as I'd summarize, "Why yes, I totally am the sort of person who'd bully my sister into an eating disorder for her own good."

I'd expect the pokeworld would already be set up to deal with kids who required prescription anything, because journeying is such a big deal to them. If they aren't, it should be more than a personal sidenote, because that's going to mess up a lot of people's lives.

Also, while I guess she might have the worst case of ADHD ever, the kids I knew with ADHD said running around for hours helped the whole hyperactive business. Being a trainer should be easier to handle than sitting in school, and even if they're so scatterbrained without their meds they aren't even up for a trainer battle, they should still be able to function enough to walk back into town and look into getting a refill.

I mean, I could see it being an interesting minor detail. Like they fall in a lake or something and the bottle isn't waterproof, so their whole supply is gone until they get back to town, and they have to deal with not being able to focus that well. But not a good defining feature for a story, because there's only so much mileage in ADHD, and almost all of it is when the character doesn't have their pills, which should be the exception rather than most of the time.)

* * *

><p>Okay, for one thing… OC's sister is NOT bullying OC to an eating disorder… She KNOWS that OC could care less about those comments, which explains the comment she left in her letter. Another thing, there is no such thing as a "worst" case of ADHD… I find that extremely insulting and highly insensitive considering it's basically saying that there are "good" cases of ADHD…bullshit. There is no such thing…it's just ADHD, which has three subtypes: Predominantly hyperactive-impulsive, Predominantly inattentive (this is ADD, which, since 1994, has been changed formally to predominantly inattentive in the new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition), and Combined hyperactive-impulsive and inattentive (which is what OC and I have).<p>

I can say, at least in my own opinion from my experience with it, that the medicine prescribed can be criticized (Ritalin was the _worst_ medicine to ever be prescribed to _me_ before they switched me over to the medicine I have been taking since the second/third grade, which actually works for me…), but not the person with ADHD.

Everyone is different and everyone's ADHD experience is different (I already listed off three subtypes)…don't assume we're all the same. That's just stereotyping…and don't base it off of just some people you know. Like I said, everyone's different…

I already stated that I'm basing off OC's ADHD off of my own experience. I'm giving you an insight about one person with ADHD, not everyone. I hope that clears it up…

Also, another thing! Why the hell would medicine be in bottle that is not waterproof? That is stupid! It would be a bad job on the pharmacist's behalf, especially if it's pills because pills dissolve! There is a reason why it should be swallowed whole (or chewed, depending on what it is) and it is because of that! Medicine in non-waterproof bottles…Where's the common sense in that?

Also, I find being a Trainer HARDER than going to school. That's another thing from me that is implemented into OC since she's more for academics if given a choice between it and becoming a Trainer. Think about it…

While you're in school, you're in a place you know what to expect, for the most part. As a Trainer…you have no fucking idea just WHAT to expect at all once you leave home. It's reality and you are on your own…OC isn't ready for that.

OC is irresponsible, which gets in the way of her keeping in check that she's taking her medicine. That is something we have observed just now… It's the same case for me. You have something you're expected to take on your own time…that's your responsibility. OC is irresponsible with that responsibility and she knows that herself, which is why it was one of her reasons for not going on a journey.

Now another thing…her medicine does not cause her to lose weight (like other ADHD medicine, as I learned from **Farla**'s review)! OC isn't fat, but she is overweight and…well, she's flabby. That is why her sister got on her case with that comment in the letter. However, despite this…that doesn't mean I'll keep Touya from teasing OC at times, but only at times. It won't get repetitive…hopefully.

Well, I'm done ranting and, hopefully, that gave you some insight of OC's ADHD (as well as mine). Once again, you'll never see ranting of this from me again…unless it's _Twilight_ and there are _so_ many things I find wrong with that series…especially in _Breaking Dawn_ with Bella and Edward! DX I had Biology the year I read that book and while Biology is not my forte, I still remember things…and because of that, I realized just how stupid _Twilight_ is...or at least the last book. It was my least favorite of the series and part of it involved a certain baby...I'm leaving it at that for _Breaking Dawn_.

Ahem, I like the first _Twilight_ book as a standalone, but don't expect me to reread that book. I lost respect for the series due to the last book…

OC: "You're ranting again."

Goddammit…well, I'm gonna shut up about that. Now, you know the drill! NO FLAMES… Constructive criticism is always welcomed, but I want advice not lessons…like the lesson **Farla **tried to give me…

OC: "You're doing it again…"

I am SO sorry about that rant...I am ashamed, but I am not taking it down because I would rather avoid comments like these in the future...yeah...

...

Well, reviews are nice! :D They show me you guys appreciate or at least read this fic and give your opinion…which is why if you're gonna tell me you hate it, tell me WHY. I'm interested… Also, about the _Hunger Games_...I got into the series WAAAY before the movie was made... I read it my freshman year (I'm a junior, now), and I thank the book club for that! :D It was our last book of the year...and it was a damn good one to finish off the year with! I have yet to finish reading the last book, but I'll get to it! DX Otherwise, I won't let myself watch the movie...I HAVE to see it. I wanna see Rue and Katniss...anyways, moving on!

Now, I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up, but I'll try my best to get one up soon…I said TRY. I can't be expected to always keep my promises except for one…which is that I promise to never give up on this fic. Okay?

Well, till next time! KD out! XD


	5. Fear

…

I had just finished setting up my tent that I found I had in my backpack…lucky me! That means Touya didn't have the tent…meaning he was on his—well, I just probably pissed him off even more… Still, sometimes I wonder just how the hell my backpack can fit so many things… Then again, backpacks and such have been messed around with and made to hold huge capacities that belie its outward appearance for quite a long time, now. Physics has nothing on those backpacks…but then again, it was through science and the help of certain Pokémon that these backpacks were made to hold so many things for the convenience of the Trainers… I mean, it's similar to how Poké balls work…somewhat similar, there is a small difference, but I forgot what it was…

Okay, my brain hurts from actually remembering these things. I mean, where was this information when I needed it during finals week? Oh, wait…I did have it, which means… I still know stuff! Dammit! I'll be knowing pointless information for a while…

And since I'm not returning to school until my journey is over…then all that knowledge will go to waste! I want to go home, now…I miss school already (surprisingly)…

"Sni!" Ivy's head popped out of the tent. She and Kairi were already inside, waiting for me.

"Ivy, I'm okay, just…my brain hurts…" Give me a few minutes, and I'm good…

…

Well, today was the first time since…well, actually…this is the first time I have ever camped out in the middle of nowhere (not really, it's Route 2) without anyone but my Pokémon, that I recently obtained yesterday. I was inside my blue tent with Ivy and Kairi, now… I changed out of my clothes and into a pair of shorts and a white T-shirt. It was a rather warm night and the tent made it feel much warmer, but I tried not to think about that too much… The last thing I wanted to do was sleep outside of this tent…fuck, I can't even attempt to do that!

I blame horror movies…and I blame Cheren and Touya for tricking me into coming with them to watch that horror movie marathon during spring break. Escape was futile because Touya was being a sadistic bastard and locked us in the room! I knew I should have listened to Bel and Touko… Then again, they got tricked into coming anyways by the second horror movie so irony proves I would've been dragged in either way. Why did I make myself remember that? Now I can't stop thinking of Michael Myers (that bastard ruined Halloween for me…) or Jason Voorhees stabbing me in the middle of the night…or Freddy Krueger stalking my nightmares…

I'm scared…I really can't even think of sleep right now. Never gonna sleep again…

"I hate you so much, Touya…and Cheren, because he's a prick…" Fricken' Cheren snuck up behind Bel and me when he was coming back from the bathroom during that horror movie marathon. He scared us so badly that we actually cried…well, Bel cried… I almost cried. At least Cheren stopped messing with Bel after that…

"Sni?" Ivy looked at me.

I forced myself to smile. "I'm okay…just trying to suppress some memories—is it raining?"

I could hear raindrops falling down on the top of the tent. It sounded relaxing…at first. Then, it started getting louder and louder. It was getting ugly outside…oh, dear Reshiram…I left Touya outside with nothing! Well, he had an umbrella, but how is he going to sleep with that?

And that reminded me…I had no umbrella, meaning…I was stuck here until it stopped raining, unless I wanted to get sick…

Last thing I EVER wanted to do…and so I'm stuck in this tent until otherwise. Great…hopefully, it'll stop raining by tomorrow morning. Until then…geez, it sounds very ugly outside! I can hear the raindrops fall hard!

"Can this get any worse?" I didn't have enough time to slap myself for even saying that and tempting fate because just after I said that, I heard thunder. "It got worse…"

I'm blaming Arceus for this! Okay, just stay inside and try to go to sleep…

CRACK!

I brought Kairi and Ivy closer to myself. Let's try this again…

_Krrrkrrrkrrak!_

"What the fuck was that?!" My heart's pounding…that sounded waaay too close! Should I look or stay inside?

…

…

Fuck it! I'm going out! For me, I find it dangerous not knowing what's going on when you're practically in the middle of a certain situation. After grabbing my backpack, I crawled out of my tent, with Kairi and Ivy following me out. It was pouring outside and, within seconds, I was drenched. Already, I hate nature…

What a great way to start my first night alone…well, at least I still have Kairi and Ivy. Though, the second I see something wrong outside, I'm going to return Kairi and Ivy into their Poké balls and bolt. Screw the tent, I rather live with a cold than trouble.

I started to look at my surroundings. "Okay, girls…tell me if you see something…"

Not even a second after I said that, both Kairi and Ivy actually screamed. I immediately turned to my Pokémon. Kairi and Ivy were clinging onto one another, scared out of their wits. It's not until I look in their direction I figure out why they were scared.

Holy shit…what the fuck is that thing?! "AAAAAAGGHHHH!"

THUD!

Ow…I landed flat on my tailbone. Fucking rain! It made me slip—what was I yelling about again? Oh, right…ahem…what the fuck is that?! I don't know what the fuck was floating above my tent, but it was pretty damn scary from what I could make out of its silhouette. I felt my heart start to pound within my chest and the fact that the thing's eyes were staring at me…those eyes…they scared me! They were yellow and…glowing somehow…

Oh, Arceus…why can't I move? WHY?! Move, dammit!

"Snivy sni!"

"Osha oshawott!"

"I know, dammit, but I can't move!" Oh, god…oh god…I wanted to move, but…I couldn't…I was too damn scared…oh, shit! That think was looking at me!

"Thundu…rus…" the thing said.

_Krrrkrrrkrrak!_

My eyes widened as I watched a bolt of lightning strike my tent, setting it ablaze. I am so glad I had everything in my backpack…except for the tent. Yes, I actually took the time to pack the sleeping bag…why? I don't know, but I just did!

The burning tent lightened up the area, giving me a much better look at the thing. It was a Pokémon…and it was blue! My favorite color turned against me…why? I'm not sure if I had seen this Pokémon before or not…I don't know…I can't remember… It was unnerving just to stare at that Pokémon, even more so as I couldn't get my legs to work…

If I didn't move soon, I could be that Pokémon's next target…why can't I move? Urk…I don't feel good…

_Krrrkrrrkrrak!_

I closed my eyes and covered my head. "Eep…"

"Oshawott osha!"

"Snivy sni!"

"Go on without me! I'm not worth it!" I said that, but my Pokémon thought otherwise. I opened my eyes to find Ivy's vine whip tied around my waist. I could see Kairi trying to help Ivy pull me, but it was useless. I was just too damn heavy—holy crap, they're actually managing to get me to budge!

I could see Ivy straining to pull me. She was so intent on taking me along…Kairi, too. They had no intentions on leaving me, their Trainer, behind…My eyes widened as I heard someone call out my name. I didn't have time to see who it was…instead; I felt them as they tackled me out of the way of a lightning bolt that struck the ground where I once sat. My heart nearly stopped as I realized…

That could have been me…

THUD!

I winced after making contact with the ground. Ow…that hurt…but at least I didn't land on my elbow… I felt an extra weight on myself and it wasn't Ivy or Kairi, no…it was Touya. Touya was panting, his arms wrapped tightly around me. To him, he just barely made it in time…that's how I see it.

I wondered if he is still mad at me for earlier…right now, I just don't care… He was here and…that's all that mattered. I felt sick to my stomach. I was just so scared. I don't know what to make of this anymore.

I blinked as I felt Touya shift, removing his arms around me. He focused his gaze on me, his expression stern. He grabbed me by the shoulders and started shaking me.

"You fucking idiot!" Touya yelled at me. "If you're going to leave me, at least try to stay alive!"

I had no response to his remark… I don't know if I was just happy to see him or relieved that he was here…all I know was that I was practically crying because it was _Touya_. This caught Touya by surprise and earned him some reactions from my Pokémon.

"Snivy!" exclaimed Ivy. "Snivy sni sni!"

"Osha!" exclaimed Kairi.

Touya just scowled and started to get up off the ground. He immediately pulled me up afterwards. "I'll deal with you later, for now! Get up and move!"

Touya grabbed onto my wrist tightly, causing me to yelp rather loudly because he grasped my bruised wrist.

"Touya, my wrist!" If this keeps up, my wrist will never heal! I'll have a permanent bruise for life!

_Krrrkrrrkrrak!_

"Get moving!" Touya yelled as he started pulling me.

I managed to get my legs to moving as Touya started to pick up the pace. I didn't dare look back as I heard the Pokémon's cries grow louder and louder as the thunder and lightning increased.

"THUNDURUS!" the Pokémon yelled.

A bolt of lightning hit the tree we just finished passing. I flinched, as did Touya, but he kept his grip on my wrist as he continued to run. We kept going until we were far away from the Pokémon. Once there, the rain turned from hard to gentle. The lightning and thunder ceased and the Pokémon didn't follow us…thank Arceus…

The second Touya stopped moving, I let myself drop to my knees and inhale shakily. I was so scared…if Touya hadn't been there… No…don't think of it…just don't—

"Oshawott osha!"

"Snivy sni!"

I shook my head and turned to see Ivy scamper over to us, dragging alongside Kairi via vine whip. My eyes widened as I realized…I left them behind. "Oh, Arceus, I'm so sorry for leaving you behind!"

Ivy didn't seem mad or anything, just slightly annoyed and Kairi…she was just relieved. The two Pokémon sighed and sat down on the ground. They seemed exhausted. I know I am…

I sighed and looked up at Touya, who had just released my wrist. He looked down at me and held out his hand.

"C'mon, let's try to find a place out of the rain…" he said as he smiled reassuringly.

I reached for his hand, but a strange feeling started to stir in my stomach. I felt a burning sensation in my stomach and chest. I didn't know why, but I—I don't feel good… "Urk…"

"Are you okay?"

I covered my mouth with my right hand as I gagged. "…I'm fine—"

That was a complete lie…because not long after I said that, I threw up on the ground. It was disgusting tasting your own dinner again…all acidy, bitter, and stuff. Tears started streaming down my cheeks. I gagged again as I tried to resist the urge to throw up again…I couldn't stop.

"You are definitely not okay…" Touya said as I threw up again.

"Shut up…Touya…not in the mood!" Really, I am not…I was scared out of my wits back there…anxiety had taken its toll on me up to the point where I actually threw up…and, I'm not sure when or how or why exactly, but I _think_ I might have pissed myself back there. I'm not sure because I'm drenched to the bone…and it might just be the rain. Still, I don't think I'll be admitting that anytime soon around Touya.

I have pride, despite my tendencies…however, I won't deny anything about me being scared. I was really scared… I don't think I have ever been so scared in my life… I felt like crying…

So I did… I just couldn't stop myself from crying… It was too difficult to stay calm. I could have died back there…

I wanted to go home… I wanted to go home so badly. I felt homesick at this point… I just wanted to quit this journey. But what's the point about crying for home? I wasn't allowed back until I got far into my journey, which means I needed a certain amount of badges…

I had none…I haven't arrived at my first Gym yet…my progress is slow and… All I've done so far is pissed off my own best friend. Just how did he put up with me?

I'm a lost cause…all the emotions I didn't have back when I stood out on my own doorstep suddenly came to me in a rush. I felt frustration, fear, and concern…and pain…pain from getting rejected out of my own house. I got kicked out of my own house because of my incompetence…

What am I supposed to do now? I know that my goal is to earn badges, but what am I really supposed to do? What is my purpose of going on a journey? Is there a purpose or was I just kicked out so I could gain some experience? I don't know…

Touya draped his jacket around me and then knelt down. He sighed before wrapping his arm around my shoulder and bringing me closer to him. Had this been any other situation, I would have felt awkward, but right now… I feel safe.

"Look, it's okay…I'm here…" he said reassuringly. "I'm not mad at you anymore…it's okay…"

"Touya…I'm sorry…"

"…That's fine."

I am very much lucky to have someone like Touya… I'm glad we made up…My only regret, now, is that I wish I didn't take him for granted at times…

…

…

* * *

><p>AN End of chapter.

Hey guys! It's been a while, but here's your update! :D Hope you enjoyed it and yeah…it's rather…different. Well, OC has finally had her moment of weakness involving fear.

OC: "The mood seemed to have dimmed."

Yeah, I had to show you just how serious I could get in this story. Eh, I feel this is like my worst chapter…eh, it was gonna happen sooner or later. In this chapter, OC has encountered Thundurus…yeah, this is something you WANT to avoid…because Thundurus is a bit destructive. I decided to have OC experience her first Legendary…and this is what happened. Here's the thing about Thundurus, at night, it's supposed to be to the north of Unova, but so is Tornadus…so I decided to do this: At night, Tornadus is to the north and Thundurus is to the south. In the morning, it's the opposite…both Pokémon are always opposite of each other…and that settles that explanation.

Well, there aren't any notes this time. As always, I'll keep you updated on my progress. I'm officially signed up in my town's pageant…yay.

OC: "KD has finished taking her SATs on 6-2-12."

That was hell…

OC: "KD still has a pre-calculus packet and AP literature assignment to do."

I'll get to that in a few weeks…

OC: "And KD has published two new stories!"

Yeah! Now let's get down to business…OC and _I am Trainer_ has gained a Naruto counterpart. Introducing: Ando! She is the girl who ended up on Team Seven due to an uneven amount of graduates that came to be after Naruto's last minute graduation. Yeah…I'm taking a clichéd plot line and turning it into something else! :D

If you're interested in it, the story is called _The Wisteria_…and now for my second fic… It's my first shoujo-ai and Zelda fic!

OC: "Everybody, prepare to celebrate once KD gets the token shoujo-ai pairing to pick up."

It's ZeLink, however! I only changed Link's gender…think about it… It's called _Ambiguity_ if you're interested. It takes place during Skyward Sword, and, from what I've seen, I made the first-ever Skyward Sword genderbender, so woo!

OC: *throws confetti*

Yeah…okay, you guys know the drill… NO FLAMES! Constructive criticism is always welcomed, just don't tell me what to do! DX I want advice, not lessons…

Well, this was chapter five. Hope you enjoyed…if not…oh, well. Till next time, KD out! XD


	6. Aftermath

…

I felt warm…very warm…like if I could compare this warmth, I would compare it to me burying myself in a ton of blankets in my room during the winter. It was a pleasant feeling…I liked it. It was a comfy feeling… I was half-asleep at this point, on the verge of opening my eyes and waking up. I tried going back to sleep, but my attempt was a fail.

Hmm…I feel warm, but something is missing… What…wait a second! Where's my fluffy otter thing? Why is she not in my arms? Kairi, my love, where are you?

It was at this point, my eyes snapped open. It took me a few seconds for my blurry vision to clear. The first thing I saw was the much adorable scene of my Pokémon huddled up together as they slept. It was cute because the girls were getting along rather well…and it seems Scruffy's with them. Heh, Scruffy…Touya really needs to let Scruffy out of the ball, more. She is such a cutie…and such an easy catch, too!

I don't see what the problem is catching such a cute Pokémon. All I did was look around, somehow managed to come across a Lillipup that practically attacked me with love—I'm not kidding. I actually got tackled to the ground by Scruffy and then got licked in the face…and that's how I found Scruffy. Touya will be happy to know he has a Pokémon with good attack strength…because I forgot to tell him.

…and it also seems that Ganon is with them—aww…words cannot describe the scene of adorableness these sleeping Pokémon are producing. Ganon looks so adorable with the girls…wait…_girls_… Ganon's the only guy right now…that playboy! He's got his own harem! And they're all in his breeding category—okay, that's it! I'm officially awake!

Wait…they're young, so stuff like this is unknown to them…dammit! I woke up for the wrong reason! Bleh…I'm gonna go back to sleep…mmm, delicious warmth and sleep…

I shifted a bit, turning my back against the sleeping Pokémon and buried my head into a warm, black pillow that made an interesting sound.

…

…

Wait, wait, wait, wait…where the fuck did this pillow come from?! I'm in the middle of the freaking woods!

My eyes snapped open and I found myself facing the black pillow. I stared at it for a few seconds and poked at it with my finger. It felt firm. I poked it again, still finding it firm…and damn interesting to poke at. Heh heheh, poke, poke, poke~!

"Ngah…not now, Touko…" a drowsy voice muttered.

My eyes widened as I felt something around me move. Something—no, _someone_…was holding me. I believe those be arms around me…heh, felt nice—okay, what the hell? Seriously, what is going on?

I looked up and narrowed my eyes as I found myself staring at Touya's face. He was asleep…and d'aww, he has such an innocent face when asleep. He looks so relaxed right now and not serious or angry… I almost didn't want to wake him up, but the fact that he's holding me like this was a bit…I dunno what to say.

It's like he's hugging me…but I'm the one who initiates the hugging, not the other way around! Then again, I DO like hugs and this IS rather nice...

…

…

Meh, I'll just wake him up…but how? I need a good way to—thought of one!

"Hey, Touya…Touya!" Poke, poke, poke—why are you not as squishy anymore? My finger is actually bouncing back as I poke Touya in the chest. Someone's been working out…ohoho~! For what occasion would Touya be working out? Methinks someone is trying to impress another…or just working out to get rid of some nearly nonexistent flab. Touya was never fat, no, but he was slightly squishy…_was_.

…

…

Oh, that bastard is trying to give me an initiative to work out! Well, here's what I have to say to that!

"Poke!" I said as I poked him rather hard. Ow…my finger…dammit, Touya, my pokes aren't as affective anymore now that you're not squishy! I hate you…

"Ngh…I told you not now…" Touya muttered in his sleep. "Go away…"

I looked at Touya and grinned. "Hey, Touya! Guess what? I'm _pregnant_!"

Touya's eyes snapped open wide as he immediately yelled, "BULLSHIT! I WANT PROOF! WHO'S THE FATHER?"

I laughed and poked Touya in the nose. "Why, Touko, silly!"

Touya blinked a few times and looked down at me. He glared. "Girls can't get other girls pregnant, stupid."

Oh, he thinks I'm stupid, eh? Well, I wonder what he has to say to this! "Not without the help of artificial insemination—"

"Subject change!" Touya said firmly. "What are you doing?"

I grinned. "Oh, I was just sleeping…in your arms…they're still around me, ya know?"

…

…

Touya blinked. "Uh..."

"To be honest, I don't mind." Really, I don't. "But can you ask first before you do anything like this? I mean, I would rather avoid any awkward situations."

I am rather surprised that there was only awkward silence. It could have been worse... I'm still waiting for Touya to do something. He's just staring at me and... "Are you blushing?"

Touya removed his arms at this point. "Yeah, I'm not taking the blame for this. This is all on you."

I growled. "How the hell is this my fault?"

"Because you cried yourself to sleep…by the way, did you have to wear a white t-shirt?" Holy shit, Touya, your face is red and...WHAT? Oh, fucking hell...

I looked down at myself and blushed. I was indeed wearing a white t-shirt and considering last night's storm...fuck. Okay, let's be positive! "Well, be thankful that I always wear a bra!" Truth be told, that comment was actually aimed at me. If I didn't…okay, let's not think about it!

"And you're implying I looked?" Touya stared at me.

"Why else would you bring up my white t-shirt?" I said, grinning. Not gonna lie, Touya's adorable when he's flustered like this...I feel like such a sadist. "Touya, you pervert!"

Touya scowled and turned away from me. "This coming from the girl who brought up her own bra…"

"Well, why not?" I mean, I'm wearing a white t-shirt and…wait a second. I need to check something out. I tugged on the collar of my t-shirt and looked inside. Uh…pink—why do I own a pink bra?! Actually, forget that! Why am I _not_ wearing a sports bra?

Okay, I'm changing—oh, right…no tent…but I do have a sleeping bag—and a boy is in the vicinity… It's not like I have anything worth seeing—but I'm bigger than Touko, yet smaller than Bel, meaning they _exist_…and their existence cannot be ignored… I mean, Touya noticed my bra last night, so yeah...

"Touya, would you mind leaving for a few minutes…I want to change."

"Do you want me to help you? I have a blanket."

"…I swear to Arceus, you even dare to look, I will slug you…"

"Threat taken into consideration, dear," Touya said in a rather casual manner.

Oh, so he's using names, huh? Okay, two can play it that way! "Shut it, darling."

"Not now, honey."

My left eye twitched. "Asshole."

Touya's eyes gleamed. "Bitch."

"Jerk."

"Weak comeback, flat-chest."

Oh hell no, they _exist_! "You wouldn't have mentioned my white t-shirt if I was flat and what's with the sudden fascination with my chest, dick?!"

Touya's face reddened. "Fuck you, slut!"

"Takes one, to know one, man-slut." Of course, I know for a fact that my current relationship status is and has always been "forever alone" and considering that I am still unicorn bait...slut does not apply to me.

"Whore." Does not apply to me yet again.

"Man-whore." Of course, Touya, on the other hand...yeah, I KNOW he had a few girlfriends. It's something he never wants to talk about and wants it to stay like that. Touya kept having issues with his girlfriends, especially his last girlfriend. Touko mentioned something about Touya being almost pressured into doing something with his last girlfriend. I think that was the reason he broke up with her.

"Quit adding 'man' to my insults, fat ass!" Oh, NOW you can just go to hell!

"Then quit saying lies, asshat! You know I'm asexual!" I am not a fucking plant, by the way...I'm not talking about plants, I'm talking about something else that is not biology-related. An asexual is one who does not experience or rarely experiences sexual attraction to any gender, or who otherwise has very little interest in sexual activity, if at all. Cheren helped me out with that when he overheard me talking to Bel and Touko about my lacking love-life, which was something that I was growing conscious of due to Touya being absent from our little group because of dating. "We have gone over this!"

"Do I look like I give a fuck?" OH, it is ON.

And so Touya and I spent the next few minutes calling each other derogatory terms involving bad language and certain parts of the body that I rather not say… We stopped once I called Touya a bastard, which was around one or two minutes after our name-calling banter started. This is actually normal for us, especially when we're playing video games. That's just how our friendship works.

Touya held out a blue blanket that he pulled out of his satchel. "Okay, I'll hold up the blanket and you change…I'll keep an eye out for anyone who manages to walk by."

I stared at Touya as I pulled out a change of clothes from my backpack. "You better not look…"

Touya snorted. "And why would I be interested in looking at you?"

"I'm paranoid, okay?" I narrowed my eyes at Touya as he laughed. "Don't mock me!"

"I'll stop mocking you once it stops being funny," Touya remarked.

"Jerk."

"Bitch."

…

…

Our Pokémon had just woken up by the time I finished changing. Ivy and Kairi immediately dashed to my side and grabbed a hold of my legs. I stared at them, feeling rather surprised as they clung to my legs.

"They were worried about you last night…"

I turned to Touya. "Huh?"

"They were worried about you," Touya repeated. "Ivy, especially…she even started crying."

I blinked. "Crying? Ivy was crying?"

Touya nodded. "Hard to believe, but yeah…she started just sometime after you broke down…"

"Ah…" I wonder why Ivy was crying…I mean, this was Ivy, my cool reptile grass Pokémon…not Kairi, my cute little otter thing, but Ivy… Ivy wasn't even my original Pokémon…could she really be that attached to me already? If so, then…wow…

I looked down at Ivy, my brown eyes staring into her red eyes. "Hey, sweetie…it's okay, I'm here…"

Ivy averted my gaze. "Vee-vee, snivy sni…"

I bent down and picked up Ivy in a warm embrace. "I love you too, sweetie!"

Ivy just blinked as I hugged her. She was so cute…my little reptile…I wonder what she really said… Times like these, I really wish I understood my Pokémon…

It'll take me a while since I'm not like the people from White Forest who can understand all Pokémon… At the most, I'll only understand my own Pokémon. I'm not sure to what extent, though, because a Trainer's comprehension of the Pokémon language differs from Trainer to Trainer. Background used to play an important role when it came to understanding one's Pokémon. This was something exclusive to the Unova region since in every other region, it took years to even understand one of your own Pokémon.

Here in Unova, it ranged from your own team of Pokémon to just about any Pokémon with no limit…but the latter was only exclusive to the people of White Forest. Though, some studies have shown that children are capable of understanding all Pokémon. Still, it is only a temporary ability…children lose their understanding of the Pokémon language as they get older.

There are possible ways to regain the ability, but the possibilities are just theories that have yet to be proven due to the fact that the theories call for situations that could potentially harm or stunt a person's social skills and development…

Though, in the past few years since the defeat of Team Galactic, there has been a recent discovery. The once Unova-exclusive ability was now a common trait most Trainers have. It extended from a few of one's own Pokémon to all. It has almost been ten years since the discovery… Of course, there are some people who have yet to accept this phenomenon and tend to take it out on those with the ability, calling them freaks and such. This can most likely be seen as jealousy, or even fear as those who take it out on others tend to also lack the ability to understand their own Pokémon. It happens.

I wonder how long it'll take me to gain the ability…

"Hey, I can see your bra straps."

"Like I give a damn…" I am not changing my bra again just because my t-shirt doesn't cover the straps. Hopefully, I don't get sick from last night's incident…I'm surprised I didn't have a nightmare…

_Growl…_

My left eye twitched. "I'm hungry…"

Touya looked at me and sighed. "I'll go see if there's anything worth eating around here. There's a bunch of Pokémon food in my bag…"

I nodded my head and waved at Touya as I made my way over to his satchel. I was about ready to open it when I realized something. "Are you sure you want me to go through your bag?"

Touya was gone, leaving me alone with his Pokémon as well as mine… We were alone, meaning…

"Hey, everybody, anyone wanna go through Touya's stuff?" I exclaimed.

"Vee-vee sni sni!"

"Oshawott!"

"Te!"

_Bark!_

Ah, I love how I get along so well with all of these Pokémon…especially you, my little otter love…and badass reptile. Yes, you two are so adorably badass…

…

…

"Huh, Touya wears boxers?" I said as I took out a small pile of neatly folded blue boxers. Touya saw my bra, so it's only fair that I get to see his underwear, which turned out to be boxers. "Kinda figured…oh ho~! What is this?"

I stared at a small, square-shaped package in my hand. I stared at it for a few seconds, wondering what it was before realizing _what_ it was. Once I figured out what it was, I felt extremely awkward and hid the package in Touya's boxers. I immediately stuffed Touya's boxers back into his satchel and turned to my Pokémon and his.

"Okay, who's up for breakfast?" I am currently trying to blank out the memory at the fact that I just came across something in Touya's possession that I would rather not remember. Burn the memory, burn it! Must forget…blank it out, blank it out, goddammit! Memory erase, for Arceus's sake! GAH, IT'S NOT WORKING!

"Sni!"

I blinked and turned to my Snivy. "Oh, hey, sweetie…what's up?"

"Snivy sni?" said Ivy.

I closed my eyes and laughed. "Oh, nothing you should know…now, if you'll excuse me. I'm going to go bang my head against that tree…"

And so I did…right after giving my Pokémon, as well as Touya's, breakfast. I banged my forehead on a tree as the Pokémon ate. I could feel their stares on me, but I didn't care. I had a memory to eradicate and I just remembered something!

"I _touched_ it!" Oh, god! Nah…must forget….

"What is wrong with you?"

I stopped banging my forehead onto the tree and turned to see Touya, who has just dropped the armload of fruit in his arms. I did the only reasonable thing and just laughed.

"Oh, nothing…" I said as I waved my hand. "I just got this disturbing image of one of my friends doing something mind-scarring…"

Preferably, something that had to do with that package I found in your satchel…but I won't ever tell you about that, no. I'm just going to purge that memory from my head…via self-inflicted amnesia. Hopefully, this works…

Touya arched his brow and suggested, "Cheren doing something outrageous, specifically, something that might make him look like a girl, but would expose his true gender at the same time because of the outfit he was wearing?"

…

…

…

"Excuse me for a second…" And thank you so much, Touya, for that unneeded mental image of Cheren wearing lingerie.

THUD!

Must…erase…image…why…won't…it…go away? Mah…get this image of Cheren wearing lingerie out of my head! Fucking Touya, I'll kill you for this—where the hell did he get that suggestion from? And why the hell did I even think of lingerie? Oh, right…bra…ugh…

"You'd be surprised to learn that Cheren has fanboys."

…That explains a lot, yet, brings up so many more questions…

THUD! THUD! THUD!

Must…forget…bah…fricken'…mental image!

"Have you taken your meds yet?" Touya asked.

I turned to Touya and smiled. "Oh, no, not yet, actually…thank you for asking!"

"Please stop trying to give yourself a concussion…your forehead's starting to develop a bruise and—are you _bleeding_?!" Touya stared at me wide-eyed.

I blinked a few times and brought my fingertips to my forehead. Ow…okay, ow… "Hey, I _am_ bleeding…"

…

…

I stared at Touya as he wrapped some bandages around my head. He had just finished cleaning my bleeding forehead with antiseptic (which stung very much). I had just so fortunately forgotten for what exact reason I even started banging my forehead against a tree (be gone, foul memory!)…damn, I just acknowledged its existence…

"Okay, there we go," Touya said as he snapped the bandage. "Try not to do that again…please…"

I closed my eyes and crossed my arms. "I'm not making any promises…"

Touya sighed. "Just eat something so you can take your meds…"

…

…

Sometime after breakfast, in which I ate nothing but fruit (drank my medicine afterwards)…ya know, losing weight might not be hard this way…okay, back to current events. Anyways, Touya and I were back to making our way towards Striaton City. Scruffy was in her Poké ball, for reasons that Touya was lazy and only wanted Ganon out. I also put Kairi in her Poké ball, but only because I needed to spend some decent time with Ivy…

I kinda forgot about her yesterday and I needed to spend some time with her…just between us, since Ivy was left out yesterday. Yeah… Touya also needs to bond with Scruffy…I guess I'll get him to do that once we reach Striaton City and—wait a second… Once we get there, Touya doesn't need any reason to stay with me…

I don't know why, but I suddenly feel sad and concerned. I mean, I'm happy that I don't have to put up with Touya watching my every move, but since last night…

I don't think I can handle going on my own…

"Hey, you!" a voice called out.

I immediately froze, not making the slightest of movements. If I stay still, maybe whoever it was that called out to me will go away. Unfortunately, this tactic seems to never work for me as I just made it easier for the person, who called out, catch up. It was a young boy clad in shorts and a casual orange t-shirt with baseball cap of the same color, on his head. It was a Youngster, if I'm correct with my knowledge of the Trainer Class.

Youngsters are boys who usually wear shorts and in Unova, Youngsters are usually accompanied by an adult or an older person. Youngsters are not yet old enough to go on their journeys and, when not accompanied by an adult, will usually stick close to their home areas. Seeing as it is summer and most kids are out of school, Youngsters are quite a common sight.

"A Trainer catches another Trainer's eye!" the Youngster exclaimed. "That is the start of the Pokémon battle!"

And they are also considered Trainers, meaning that I have to follow the Trainer code. No matter what the specialties or aims, there is one code that Trainers all follow—when two Trainers make eye contact, they must have a battle. This means I have to battle this kid…

"How old are you?" I find myself asking that question.

The Youngster blinked as he pulled out a Poké ball from his pocket. "Eleven…my name's Jimmy!"

Ah, he's only three years away from being able to go on his journey. The age limit only prevents Trainers from going on their journey if they are not of age. To become a Trainer, all you have to have is a Pokémon, money, and some guidance…

I had none so I'm pretty sure I have the possibility of getting screwed over by a Youngster. Great…at least this can't possibly get any worse—

"Ah, I see you've been challenged to a battle."

I narrowed my eyes and turned to Touya. Oh, right…him…crap. If I lose to this kid, I will never hear the end of it from Touya. Well, I guess I have no choice but to win…

"Hey, Ivy…it's your turn to play," I said, my gaze focused on my Snivy, who was perched onto my shoulder.

Ivy had her arms crossed. She looked over the Youngster, almost as if she was assessing her opponent's Trainer. I wonder what Pokémon this kid has…

…

Ivy stood in front of me as she stared at Jimmy, who stood on the opposite side of us. He threw down a Poké ball that he had in his hand and released a Patrat. My left eye twitched as I stared at Jimmy's Patrat.

I just got mauled by a pack of Patrat a few days ago…I don't like them very much. "Ivy, no mercy…"

"Sni!" was Ivy's response.

Okay, what moves did Ivy have again…?

"Patrat, use Tackle!" Jimmy exclaimed.

Jimmy's Patrat nodded its head and charged forward at a rather impressive speed. Okay, it seems that this Patrat has a good speed stat…oh, crap!

"Ivy, dodge and use Vine Whip!" Panic has managed to cause a memory to pop up in mind…Ivy knew Vine Whip…yay.

Ivy skillfully dodged Patrat's attack and countered the attempted attack with her vines. Patrat shrieked in pain as Ivy practically whipped the crap out of it. Patrat practically collapsed into an unconscious heap once it had had enough of Ivy's attack. Ivy just crossed her arms and nodded her head firmly in satisfaction.

"Sni!" was all Ivy said. She was proud of herself…

And Jimmy was extremely surprised. "What? You are too strong!"

I smiled proudly and looked at Ivy. "Gotta love this reptile, huh?"

Jimmy didn't say anything and just returned his Patrat into its Poké ball. He then walked up to me and pulled out a wrinkled Pokédollar and some change from his pocket. He then shoved them into my hands.

"Here, take it!" he said, rather annoyed. "It's all I have."

Yeah, like I'm going to expect anything over two-hundred Pokédollars from a Youngster…pfft, yeah right! I'm good with what I just got…hey, where's Touya?

"Scruffy, use Bite," I heard a voice say.

I turned around to see Touya engaged in a battle against a girl around our age. She had long, brown hair and wore a school uniform. I blinked and nodded my head. This girl was of the Lass Trainer Class…they were usually girls in their middle school years, sometimes even those in high school, it differed. The only thing that set them apart from other Trainers was that Lasses always wore their school uniforms.

Wearing your own school uniform wasn't exactly suitable for an official Trainer. Official Trainers usually wore clothing that was suitable for travel. Lasses were like a male counterpart to the Youngsters. However…they were able to move about on their own without an adult, unlike a Youngster. In fact, Lasses were usually watching out for their usually much younger, male counterpart.

Anyways, this Lass had a Purrloin, which was currently getting its ass kicked by Touya's Lillipup. Looks like I don't have to get Touya to bond with Scruffy, then…it seems that Touya's already trying via battle…damn! Scruffy's kicking ass!

"Tackle!" Touya exclaimed.

Scruffy barked and slammed her entire body against the Purrloin. Purrloin was sent crashing onto the ground into a small heap. Purrloin yowled and tried to get back up, but only succeeded in falling back down. It couldn't stand up…

"T-That's enough!" the Lass exclaimed as she rushed to her Pokémon. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Rosie, I thought we had that battle…"

"Purr…." was all the Lass got in response from her Purrloin, Rosie.

"Aww, Mali, how could you lose?"

I blinked and turned to see Jimmy running over to the Lass, whose name happened to be Mali. Mali looked at Jimmy and smiled sheepishly.

"I'm sorry, Jimmy, but Rosie wasn't strong enough…" Mali sighed and took out a Poké ball. "Guess we still have a long ways to go…so I take it you lost as well?"

Jimmy turned away from Mali. "Shut up, Mali…"

Mali laughed. "Don't talk to me that way…remember what Mom and Dad told you!"

It seemed that this Lass was Jimmy's older sister…made sense. Most Lass and Youngster pairs were usually siblings or relatives, if not that, then, friends.

Jimmy narrowed his eyes. "Don't be a sore loser…"

"Exactly…" Mali chirped. "Hey, you're pretty strong…Touya, was it?"

I turned my attention back at Touya, who just nodded. He was currently petting Scruffy.

"Even though she lost, my Pokémon is still cute, huh?"

I turned my attention back to Mali and narrowed my eyes as I noticed that she seemed to be flirting with Touya. I couldn't help but notice just how pretty and curvy (in all the right places, DAMN) this girl was. Sweet Arceus, she's got _legs._ I should probably stop checking her out before this gets awkward and yes, I just checked out a girl, who happens to be _flirting_ with my _friend_. I would rather not let Touya get into another bad romance like he did with his last girlfriend. Seriously, that relationship was borderline abusive (in the emotional sense) and unhealthy.

Mali batted her eyelashes at Touya and smiled at him as she returned her Purrloin into its Poké ball. There was no response from Touya and Mali just ignored it. She tapped Jimmy's shoulder and held out her hand. Jimmy muttered under his breath and pulled out a wallet from his pocket. He opened the wallet and pulled out a few bills, handing them to Mali.

Mali patted Jimmy on the head and made her way over to Touya. She promptly paid Touya and waved at him before going back to her little brother.

"It was fun battling, but I guess I still need to train some more…" Mali said, sighing. "C'mon, Jimmy, let's go back home…today was a bust—oh, right! Who did you lose to?"

Jimmy promptly pointed a finger at me. I just blinked and made my way over to Touya. Mali seemed to take an interest in this.

"Huh…are you two friends?" she asked.

"What else would we be?" I asked.

Mali crossed her arms and smiled. "Oh, nothing…I would have said siblings, but there isn't much of a resemblance."

"Of course not, because I'm not his sister…his twin is somewhere else," I replied.

Mali arched her brow. "Oh, Touya's a twin? I didn't know that…"

"Could you stop giving people my information…?" Touya said rather annoyed.

"No promises!" I replied, smiling. "Okay, let's get going! We have to get to Striaton City!"

"Good…the sooner we get there, the better," said Touya. "Well, I guess this is goodbye…Mali."

Mali just smiled and grabbed onto Jimmy's arm. "Hopefully, we'll see each other again…bye~!"

And with that, Mali and Jimmy left. I turned my attention to Touya, finding myself rather surprised with his response. It was almost as if he wanted to get to Striaton City just to get rid of me…

I'm not that annoying or anything…am I?

…

…

* * *

><p>AN End of chapter.

UPDATE 11-14-13: Yeah, decided to start going through this fic and editing things, as well as adding things and expanding stuff. One of the things I just added that wasn't in this fic until now is Touya's ex-girlfriends. Touya has in fact been in a relationship before with a girl...a few girls to be exact. It has always ended up with him ending the relationship. His last girlfriend is of notable mention due to the fact that Touya's relationship with her was an unhealthy one. Touya was a victim of that, by the way. He never wants to talk about it and it is an actual serious subject to him. Touko already mentioned how he was almost pressured into doing something, so that's one detail you got out of that...but yeah.

Hey guys! I'm back! And yes…it seems that OC has finally taken her meds…noticed a difference in behavior yet? Of course not, it's too soon, however…OC isn't exactly random and actually focuses much better. She's not getting distracted too easily, either.

She also hasn't been getting off topic. Well, there you have it…OC on meds is somewhat the same, but she doesn't get off topic that much.

Now that OC has recovered from her breakdown, it seems she's back to normal! Or is she? Minus the intake of her medicine, it seems that OC is showing a sensitive side to her character. Of course, people, ya gotta remember! Touya is only going to stay by her side until they reach Striaton City! :D

Yeah…we also have learned that OC is asexual, which is something that has been explained and unicorn bait is OC's way of saying she's a virgin because unicorns have this thing going on with virgins and stuff...yeah. In any case, asexuality is unfortunately something that is constantly misunderstood due to such a simple concept being so difficult to understand (because not wanting to have sex is apparently incomprehensible)...and it's not celibacy. Celibacy is a choice, asexuality is an orientation. It exists, look it up.

OC has also experienced a position I usually put female characters in...notice a difference? If you've read some of my stories, of course you do! OC did not scream or anything, or even kick Touya in the crotch, no...OC took it in as if it was just something she could find humor in. XD

Anyways, you know the drill…NO FLAMES! Constructive criticism is always welcomed, just don't tell me what to do! I want advice, not lessons! DX

Well, until next time, then…KD out! XD


	7. Bittersweet

If I could describe myself at this very moment, I would say I feel like a zombie…minus the urge to eat flesh and infect people with the virus I'm carrying—I'm afraid of horror movies (HATE THEM), and yet…I play so many horror games that are much better than any horror movie I've seen…and also much scarier…  
>What is up with me? I don't know, but all I know is that I feel hatred for Touya right now. Instead of settling down for the night like any reasonable Trainer on the go, we kept walking. Normally, I wouldn't give a crap about sleeping early, but the fact that I was still walking without rest was actually doing a number on me. The fact that yesterday's events actually had an effect on me didn't help…<p>

My legs felt heavy and sore, no thanks to the distance I managed to cover while running away from Touya yesterday…and running away from that Pokémon—what was that Pokémon anyways? Anyways, I'm glad that Kairi was in her Poké ball…I'm not even sure I could carry her for this long in my arms. Ivy was doing fine on my shoulders, but that was about it…

Seeing as I brought up that Pokémon from yesterday, I should probably ask Touya about it. His aunt was the region's Pokémon Professor and all…he should know stuff.

"Say, Touya…what was that Pokémon?"

Touya reached into his pocket and pulled out his Pokédex. "Give me a few seconds…"

…

…

"_**Thundurus, the Bolt Strike Pokémon. The spikes on its tail discharge immense bolts of lightning. It flies around the Unova region firing off lightning bolts. **__**Countless charred remains mar the landscape of places through which Thundurus has passed."**_

My heart nearly stopped when I heard what exactly Thundurus, the Pokémon that I had encountered yesterday, was capable of. If Touya hadn't intervened…I really would have died. People can only withstand so much electrical attacks from Pokémon…well, not attacks, per say, but a certain amount of voltage, thanks to very crucial research and the development of a vaccine of some sort that affects the body in a beneficial manner. It makes it so our bodies are able to allow electricity to harmlessly pass through the body. Basically, we're like little Lambo from _Katekyo Hitman Reborn_ and his electric skin…and just like him before perfecting his ability, it still hurts like hell to get struck by electrical attacks.

…

…

Huh, now that I think about it, I should look into the year the vaccine was developed and when Lambo's electric skin ability was brought up in the series… Something tells me Akira used the vaccination as a basis for Lambo's ability… (1)

Anyways, Lambo-like resistance to electricity or not, the point is that no human would have survived that attack from Thundurus…hell! Not even a Pokémon would have survived that…and Pokémon are very sturdy to attacks, despite the death rate from electrocution during Generation I being near close to high…but this is Generation IV, a lot of things have changed since then…

Ya know, for someone who had just discovered that she had barely avoided death, I am rather calm…why can't I feel my legs?

THUD!

The ground feels oddly soft against my knees, as I've recently just discovered…and Touya seems to be annoyed. Nothing new, here, aside from the fact that I think I lost all feeling in my legs…

"That's it, we're stopping for the night," Touya said as he dropped his satchel on the ground.

"Permission to say, 'woo'?" I asked.

Touya narrowed his eyes at me. "Permission denied."

Balls…well, might as well let Kairi out of her Poké ball…and I did! I immediately hugged my little otter thing once she materialized in my lap.

"It's been so long, my love!" I exclaimed as I rubbed my cheek against Kairi's soft fur. "I'll never leave you again!"

"Geez, would you tone it down with the love already?" Touya said as he and Tepig started a small campfire.

I turned my attention to Touya. "Just because you refuse to show love to your Pokémon, doesn't mean I'll do the same as you. See, this is why Ivy bit you…you have to be willing to show some emotion towards her, despite her tendency to not do the same back."

"Fuck you, honey," Touya retorted.

"Love you too, darling," I said dryly. It seems Touya and I have moved up a step in our relationship…unless Touya wants to start another name-calling exchange. If that's the case, I'm waiting for his response…

I got silence and his stare, instead. Touya just stared wide-eyed at me. His silence was unnerving as he continued to stare at me…oh, god, he's staring into my soul! Look away!

"Don't look into my soul!" I exclaimed as I looked away.

"Okay, can you not do that again?" Touya finally spoke.

I blinked and turned to Touya. "Only if you stop staring into my soul…"

"Not that, the other thing," Touya said as he covered the lower half of his face with the palm of his hand.

I blinked. "Huh?"

"That other thing you said to me!" he snapped. "Look, just don't say it!"

"Oh, you mean that, 'love you too, darling'?" I noticed Touya looked uneasy as I said that…I wonder why? It's not like it's the first time I called him, 'darling'…

Touya clenched his teeth. "Yes, that—don't say it ever again! It feels weird hearing you say that."

"It's not like I meant it—are you blushing?" I noticed that Touya looked flushed. Must...resist...urge to _squeal_...I am such a sadist...

Touya turned away from me. "No, I'm not! Just…don't say it again!"

"Will do, darling!" If I keep that up, I'm going to start feeling like Lum from _Urusei Yatsura_… Minus the green hair (my hair is brown), horns (no comment), ability to discharge electricity and fly (don't even own a Pokémon that could do either yet), outfit consisting of a tiger-striped bikini (that I will never picture myself in), a perverted husband (fuck commitment, I like being single...even if it is rather lonesome being forever alone), and a shapely figure (I _do_ have hips, but due to my lacking figure, it isn't noticeable)…okay, my self-esteem just went down a bit with the fact I just remembered I have no figure. "Touya, I feel unsexy!"

"You were never sexy to begin with!" Touya remarked.

Huh, he's got a point—_why_ did I say that? That was _so_ wrong of me to say that! **Sexy** and I do _not_ go together in the same sentence! It's like calling Bel, "sexy", and I know for a fact that she is adorable, not sexy…and yes, there is a difference.

"I don't feel pretty, then!" Now that's a word that _can_ make sense! Bel likes to call me pretty sometimes, so I guess it's fitting...

"You have nice eyes, that's a start…what the hell was that all about—you compared your body to a Rumiko Takahashi girl, didn't you?" Touya stared at me.

"…Not really, it's more like I was reminded of my figureless body and had this sudden moment of self-esteem conflict." More or less the same difference as in both cases, a Rumiko Takahashi girl was involved and, in the end, it still caused me to feel self-conscious. Bleh, I feel unclean for even thinking about that! "Okay, that's enough about that! Let's tell ghost stories!"

"And risk you not being able to sleep?" Touya said. "I think not!"

"Killjoy…"

"That's my name and I live to kill joy."

"Fuck you, I'm going to sleep." I began muttering incoherent things under my breath as I started rummaging through my backpack for my sleeping bag. Ivy and Kairi stood to my side, just watching me. "Oh, and Touya? Can you be a dear and feed my Pokémon?"

Touya waved his hand at me as he started going through his satchel. "Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, honey."

"Okay, we have got to stop with the nicknames, I feel like we're some married couple and the thought of that actually scares me." Marriage is something I rather not think about, especially to Touya. I consider him the older brother who _did_ grow up with me and not out of the house living it up in Sinnoh, Johto, or Kanto. Damn my siblings for leaving me alone in the house with Mom and Dad…Damn them! So anyways, the thought of that would be incredibly awkward…

"Likewise…having you for a wife would mean I have to do all the housekeeping," Touya remarked.

"That's right—hey! I'll have you know that I am at least capable of doing laundry and washing dishes!" Despite my immense hatred of dishes…god, I hate dishes. My hands get dry easily…anyways, I can at least do some decent housework!

"Yeah, but what are the chances of you actually doing that without being forced to?" Touya asked as he eyed me. "Plus, you hate washing dishes because your hands get dry easily."

How did he know—oh, right…I told him. "Heh, good point…okay, can we stop with the whole marriage thing? I'm starting to feel uncomfortable."

"If you think you're feeling uncomfortable right now, try imagining yourself pregnant," Touya said, his expression somewhat blank.

…

…

"Thanks a lot for the nightmare." As if the contraceptive I found in your bag wasn't bad enough…at this rate, I'll never go to sleep.

Ironically enough, I did fall asleep and I _did_ have a nightmare of being pregnant. And what was worse, _Cheren_ was the father. Yeah, try imagining having that prick for a husband. I managed to get six months into the nightmare and witnessed Cheren put his head on my stomach to hear the baby kicking for like the umpteenth time before I woke up. I find it very disturbing that I was capable of having such a nightmare…it was even unnerving imagining Cheren being so damn _fatherly_… (2)

Just the mere thought of that made me feel like screaming…so I did. I screamed loudly and woke up Touya and our Pokémon. The nightmare was just so…_realistic_.

"I hate you so much, Touya…Cheren was the father…_Cheren_!" I yelled, saying Cheren's name twice for emphasis. "Do you have any idea what you just did to me? I was pregnant with Cheren's child! He was listening to the baby _kick_ in my stomach!"

Touya stared wide-eyed at me. "I am so sorry…"

"Cheren is supposed to doing that to Bel!" I snapped. "Not me, Bel!"

"I _know_!" Touya exclaimed.

I've been trying to set up Bel with Cheren for nearly three months, now! Three _fucking_ months…it took me until this year's _hanami_ for it to have finally occur to me that Bel and Cheren make a cute couple. And, for another thing, Cheren is a bit tsuntsun and Bel is _so_ deredere…they make the absolute perfect couple. With that nightmare I just had, my plans have just gotten screwed with since I can't think of Cheren without that image of him with his head against my stomach, listening very well to the six-month-old fetus inside was fucking unnerving!

Okay, I feel the need to purge this—dammit! It won't go away! Okay, new plan…try to imagine Cheren doing that to Bel. Bel pregnant…aww, she would make such a cute mother…it's official.

"Touya, listen to me…we have to get Cheren and Bel together!" The sake of that image in my head turning into reality depends on it! "I would rather be assured that my nightmare will not become a reality!" Plus, Bel would make the most adorable mother!

"To be honest, you being pregnant is something that I would call a miracle," Touya remarked. "This is me taking your asexuality into consideration, and not implying you can't get laid."

Fuck you Touya. "Okay, can we fucking drop the subject about me being—Kairi! Ivy! What the hell?! Get your heads off my stomach!"

Touya decided at that time to be a dick and started laughing his ass off as he knew why Kairi and Ivy had their heads on my stomach. They really thought I had something inside that was kicking… Be it that they might not get the concept of reproduction (yet) as Pokémon reproduction is rather complex since some Pokémon give live birth, others have eggs, and a certain amount of Pokémon can do both, for reasons that have yet to be discovered next to the mystery of how long an egg can stay dormant. That didn't mean they didn't know where babies came from…they just had no clue how they were _made_.

Since Kairi and Ivy had been listening in on my conversation with Touya, they most likely heard about the baby kicking and thought I was really pregnant. Kairi and Ivy are still young in terms of Pokémon standards. They're appropriately naïve for their age, so I forgive them for their misunderstanding…that still didn't mean I forgave Touya for giving me the nightmare in the first place and laughing his ass off from the misunderstanding my Pokémon had! Keep laughing, Touya! You're making it worse!

Sometime later, after clearing up that misconception, Touya and I were back on track. Breakfast consisted of more fruits, which prompted me to remark, "Yum! Healthy stuff!" And then I drank my medicine…I feel much calmer now. Kairi was in my arms, Ivy on my shoulder, and Touya finally let Scruffy out of her ball.

All was good…and then we came across Bel. At that exact moment, my nightmare popped up in mind and it took me a good three minutes to remind myself that it won't happen. Bel would make sure of that! Dude, Cheren and Bel are going to make the most beautiful babies...I wonder if they'll make me or Touko the godmother?

"Heeey!" Bel exclaimed. "Have you caught any more Pokémon since last time?"

I need to stop spacing out. "I still own a reptile and an otter thing, nothing new to the team. Touya still has Scruffy and Ganon…so, once again, nothing new. What about you?"

Bel grinned widely and started rummaging through her satchel for something. She had a bit of trouble pulling out what she wanted to take out. She stumbled a few inches back after pulling out a Poké ball. (3)

"Don't fall!" I joked. Now I hope irony isn't a bitch.

Luckily, it wasn't…Bel kept her balance and released the Pokémon inside her Poké ball. My eye twitched violently as I watched a Patrat materialize right in front of my feet. Why can't these Patrat leave me alone?

"What's wrong?" Bel looked concerned. "You don't seem happy about Akira…"

I smiled nervously at Bel. "Oh, nothing…it's nothing…"

"We got attacked by a pack of Patrat three days ago," Touya replied bluntly. "It was some time before we met up with you guys in Accumula Town."

"Oh…" Bel said, frowning. "I didn't mean to…"

"T-That's okay!" I said quickly. "It's about time I got over that incident, anyways…so is Akira a girl or a boy?"

Memory served me well to remind me that Akira can be both a girl and a boy's name… I mean, hello! There's Akira Toriyama (male) of the _Dragon Ball_ series fame and Akira Amano (female) of the _Katekyo Hitman Reborn_ fame!

"Akira's a girl!" Bel chirped. "That makes Akane, Akira, and I currently an all-girl team!"

"No way!" I exclaimed. "It's the same with me and my team!"

Bel and I then promptly gushed over our similarities and embraced each other as we usually would under these certain circumstances. Bel knew how to get the girl inside of me, out. Touya ended up sitting on a tree stump with Scruffy and Ganon by his sides. He was like that when Bel and I stopped talking.

"You're awfully quiet, Touya," Bel remarked.

"Oh, you've noticed that I exist," Touya said blankly.

Bel began to stutter. "I-I'm s-s-sorry! I didn't mean to!"

I scowled at Touya. "Touya, stop messing with Bel, you jerk! You're almost as bad as Cheren!"

Minus the fact that Cheren does it unintentionally at times as he can be really blunt due to his frank nature. He really means well at times, but he can still be such a prick and extremely moody. Touya, on the other hand, is a jerk by choice (not always, but as of lately, he's been one a lot more often) and I think he does it purposely to annoy me…meaning…

I'm probably annoying him…and he already wants to get to Striaton City just so he can get rid of me…

"Heeey, are you okay?" Bel asked. "You don't look so happy…"

I blinked and forced a smile. "It's nothing!"

Bel blinked and puffed up her cheeks as she pouted. "Don't lie to me! You're not happy, so we'll have to fix that!"

I arched my brow at Bel. "How?"

Bel grinned. "Let's have a Pokémon battle! A two-on-two battle! We'll see who is stronger at this point!"

I noticed Bel's Patrat, Akira, chatter a bit despondently in response. "Uh, Bel…? Did you by chance, happened to have battled someone earlier and lost?"

Bel frowned. "Yeah…I lost to Touko…'Kane put up a really good fight with Kuri, but lost… I didn't know Kuri knew Dig…"

Kuri…? Oh, right! Touko owned a Lillipup that a little boy, Takahiro, gave to her because he didn't want to keep her cooped up with him. Takahiro was still five years away from becoming an official Trainer…

That reminded me…my niece's birthday is in a week or so, meaning…she only has three years until she can officially become a Trainer. Why I thought of my niece, I can't really tell since just remembering the situation involving my niece, her bitch of a mother, and her poor father made me sad.

There's a small problem with my niece and her parents. They are divorced and her father, my second oldest brother, gets the brunt of the consequences because of his bitch of an ex-wife. Because of that **bitch**, my second oldest brother's _own_ daughter _hates_ **him**. It's really sad, actually…the last time I have ever seen my niece was four to almost five years ago… I have no clue where she lives or where she is exactly in Unova…only my second oldest brother knows and seeing as I am on my journey, he most likely kept any information about his daughter's whereabouts a secret. As much as I have been shown to hate my niece, I actually care for her… I really do miss her…

"Stop looking so sad!" Bel snapped.

I blinked and shook my head. "Sorry!"

"That's it…we are battling and that's final!" Bel said firmly. "Go, Akira!"

"Zumi zumi!" Akira exclaimed. (4)

I didn't have a choice in what Pokémon to use against Akira as Ivy decided on her own that she wanted to take on this Patrat. I find it nice that Ivy is taking initiative, but I'd rather if she didn't do that again. I don't want to ever put her in a risky situation…

"Okay, Akira, use Bite!" Bel exclaimed.

Akira charged towards Ivy as her teeth began to glow white. "Zumi!"

"Ivy, dodge! Bite does not feel good!" It so does not and I know from experience because I had the unfortunate luck of growing up with a baby Poochyena, a Pokémon known as the _Bite_ Pokémon. Ironically enough, it doesn't know how to use Bite (or at least correctly to its intended power) until it's jaws fully develop, but even then, its bite STILL hurts like a bitch. Why there was even a baby Poochyena in the house…let's just say that there's a reason why my father had his Mightyena fixed afterwards. Aside from bringing in an unplanned baby Pokémon into the house with a rambunctious five year-old (me), Ramona nearly died giving birth due to pre-existing health problems. My father really takes his Pokémon's health into consideration before anything. Ramona _is_ the first Pokémon he caught... (5)

Ivy nodded and evaded Akira. "Sni!"

Akira quickly turned to Ivy, her fangs still glowing. She then lunged towards Ivy and firmly clamped her teeth on Ivy's tail. Akira knew how to recover from an evaded attack and make it so the attack wasn't in vain…Bel was adapting quickly to her losses…

Ivy hissed in pain and immediately started trying to shake Akira off her tail. Akira growled and kept her grip on Ivy.

"Akira is a smart Pokémon," Bel said, smiling. "Akira learns quickly from her mistakes."

Okay, time for me to start learning from my mistakes…I took out my Pokédex and checked Ivy's move set. I noticed Wrap was one of Ivy's possible moves and decided to give it a try…

Vine Whip was getting a bit old and might as well try out something new with those vines! "Ivy, use Wrap!"

Ivy clenched her teeth as her vines extended out of her neck. She had her vines wrap firmly around Akira's body. Akira started to struggle with her bite as Ivy tightened her vines. It took a few moments, but Ivy managed to pry Akira off her tail…momentarily. Akira quickly clamped her teeth onto Ivy's vines, deciding to keep the attack intact.

It didn't seem to hurt Ivy as much as it did when Akira clamped down on her tail, but I could still see that Ivy was in some pain. Ivy began to start using her hold on Akira with her vines to slam the Patrat onto the ground. Whether or not that counted as Slam, a potential move for Snivy, was beyond my comprehension. All I know was that Ivy was picking up things quickly…without my instruction.

I have just confirmed that Ivy is a very independent Pokémon. She was intelligent on her own without my help, but she still knew when to listen.

"Akira, use Bide!" Bel exclaimed.

And that was my cue to help Ivy out. "Ivy, let go and run like hell!"

Ivy looked at me with an expression that practically said, "What the hell?"

All I did was look sternly at her and she cooperated with my orders. She immediately released Akira and dashed away from the Patrat. I sighed in relief as Akira's body began to glow white. Bide didn't look like much at first sight, but it was that type of thinking that made the attack extremely brutal. If you didn't know what Bide did, then you're pretty much setting yourself up for an ass whooping. It's basically like that attack from those damn nightmare-inducing Tonberries from the _Final Fantasy_ series… The more you attack, the more powerful the counterattack.

So the best way to avoid the brunt of the counterattack is to not attack… "Ivy, whatever you do…don't touch her."

"Sni?" Ivy eyed me questioningly.

"Just trust me on this one…" I'm watching you, Akira… Just waiting for you to stop glowing—there we go! "Ivy, use Tackle!"

Ivy nodded her head and dashed over to Akira. She slammed her entire body into Akira. I'm still wondering whether or not that would count as Slam… I wouldn't be surprised if Ivy learned Slam, here and now. Whatever, let's see the results of this attack!

…

…

Akira was still up and standing. She was very resilient for a Patrat and—I think I know whom exactly she takes after. Damn, Bel works fast…

"Ivy, try to finish this battle with Vine Whip!" I'm hoping for a critical hit!

…

…

I got no such thing and, instead, had to endure a full six minutes with Akira until she went down after taking a Leaf Tornado from Ivy…and yes! Ivy learned a new move. How she did it, I probably won't ever know, but I don't care! It got me victory fair and square!

Bel frowned as she returned Akira to her Poké ball. "And you were doing so good…"

"Hey, to be fair…Ivy just learned a new move," I remarked. "Even I didn't see that coming, so pretty much…it's just plain BS luck I won. Besides, any longer, and I don't think Ivy would have been able to keep up. Akira has a lot of stamina!"

Ivy is currently exhausted…if Ivy hadn't used that Leaf Tornado on Akira when she did…Akira might have won from sheer stamina. Ivy was still conscious, but for how long?

Bel smiled as she held out another Poké ball. "Yeah, you're right…well, this little one is up!"

Bel released the Pokémon inside the Poké ball, which just so happened to be her Tepig, Akane.

"Te!" Akane exclaimed, released embers from her snout.

Bel's smile ceased as she looked seriously at me. "B-Both my Pokémon and I are going to give it our all!"

I smiled. "That's good!"

It's only been a week and, already, Bel is doing rather well on her journey. She didn't get off to a very good start, thanks to her father. Still, she made it this far within a week and while it took me four days to get this far, I had Touya by my side. Bel had no one…

"Akane, use Ember!" I'm pretty sure those were the last words Ivy heard from Bel before getting the brunt of the attack from Akane. Ivy never stood a chance, what with her current exhausted state and fire attacks being very effective against her.

I looked at Ivy as she fell onto the ground in an unconscious heap. She was covered in soot and her tail was slightly singed. Spirals were in her eyes as she groaned in pain. I sighed and took out Ivy's Poké ball.

"Return…" I pressed the center button on the Poké ball and a red light shot out. The light hit Ivy and quickly enveloped her entire body. Within a few seconds, Ivy was returned into her Poké ball for a nice, long rest… "You deserve a break, my little badass reptile…"

I turned my attention to Bel as I deposited Ivy's Poké ball into one of my pockets. I smiled as I noticed just how happy Bel was as she and her Tepig did a little victory dance. My fingertips brushed against another Poké ball in my pocket. It was Kairi's…I grasped the ball and took it out.

I had returned Kairi to her Poké ball a few minutes into the battle between Akira and Ivy. I thought it would be a good idea to let Kairi rest for a bit since she was up next.

"Come on out, my love!" I exclaimed as I released Kairi from her Poké ball.

…

…

I resisted the urge to face-palm as I watched my Oshawott sleep standing up. When I meant rest, I didn't mean take a nap—now Kairi's going to be a little sluggish. Eh, looks like Bel might get her victory today. That lucky little girl…yes, Bel was short as she was three inches under the five-foot mark… She is also the shortest member in our circle of friends, with Cheren being the tallest at hitting nearly three inches over the five-foot mark. Touya, Touko, and I were only taller than Bel by an inch—by a _full_ inch, mind you! I take pride in that inch, just like I take pride in being bigger than Touko and smaller than Bel—they exist, dammit! (6)

"Oi, oi…are you going to wake Kairi up or what?" Touya's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

Huh, strange…how did I get sidetracked by height so easily? Eh, whatever… My attention focused on Kairi again and I noticed a small bubble was inflating and deflating from her nose. I sighed and knelt down and used my finger to pop the bubble. Immediately, Kairi's eyes snapped open as she woke up.

"Osha!" she exclaimed as she looked around frantically, her gaze falling on me.

I smiled warmly at her. "Have a nice nap? Of course you did, now get ready to take on your first battle against Akane. Now be warned…she isn't like Ganon, so stay alert, got it?"

Kairi nodded her head. "Osha!"

I smiled and clapped my hands. "Good! Now…show no mercy, Kairi! Use Water Gun at full blast!"

Kairi inhaled deeply and then released a jet water from her mouth at Akane. The attack hit Akane at full blast, but Akane seemed to be resilient against the attack. She had some good defense, unlike Ganon…

At that exact moment, I heard a sneeze and a surprised yelp from Touya. I turned and noticed that Touya was currently stomping out a small fire on the ground as Ganon rubbed his snout. Did Ganon just sneeze? Wow…that thing about sneezing because you are being talked about _is_ true!

"Okay, Kairi, I'm gonna need you to act cute and use Tail Whip!" On the mind of most new Trainers is that lowering moves are useless. I'm not like them. Sure, I might have not used any moves like that before, but only because I never had a reason to.

With Akane, I have a reason. Akane was most likely Ganon's opposite in defense and Bel must have caught on earlier. She had lost to Touko earlier, so during that time before meeting up with Touya and I, she must have been training. Bel is sure a fast learner…

That meant she was on the right track and that I needed to pick up the pace. So to start off this battle, I'm going to get Kairi to cripple Akane's defense! I grinned as I watched Kairi wag her tail in a cute manner.

In my mind, I could hear only one thing, "SQUEEEE!"

Bel squealed in delight and Touya…he did nothing. Eh, that was a typical reaction from him to something so cute. He's not one for squealing—and it seems that Tail Whip worked on Akane! Akane was now just staring at Kairi, her stance slightly lax than before.

Gotcha… "Kairi, use Tackle!"

Kairi ran towards Akane and slammed into her with full force. Akane, being caught off guard, lost her footing and fell back a few feet onto the ground.

"Kairi, use Water Gun this time!" I exclaimed, pumping my fist into the air. I'm really stoked about this battle!

With Akane down at the moment, Kairi landed a real nice hit with Water Gun on Bel's Pokémon. I clenched my teeth as I watched Akane manage to actually survive that hit. She was still conscious and made an attempt to stand up. She managed…but then promptly landed flat on the ground.

I'm not sure whether I won or not as Akane was still awake, but incapable of moving. Akane was trying her hardest to get back up. This lasted for a few minutes until Bel finally intervened.

"That's enough, 'Kane…you don't have to keep on going…" she said. "Please, just stop…"

Akane looked down at the ground, her expression rather dejected. She didn't take this rather well and seemed reluctant to listen to her Trainer, but she did. Bel frowned and walked over to her Tepig.

Bel knelt down and picked up Akane. "You did your best…really, you did… At least we did better than we did during our battle with Touko!"

Akane nodded her head. "Te…"

"Cheer up!" Bel said, forcing a smile. "We couldn't win now, so we'll just have to get stronger!"

I didn't have anything to say right now. All I could do was watch Bel experience what seemed to be her second loss today. Victory was supposed to feel good…right? If so…then why do I feel so bittersweet? It's not that it wasn't a real victory as Bel chose to end the battle due to Akane being unable to get up. It might have been her reaction, then…

Bel's hiding behind a mask, trying to hide her insecurities with optimism. It's rather convincing, however…her green eyes can't lie. Something tells me she's still hurting from her choice to run away from home. We're alike in the sense that we can't really go back home… (7)

We have slight family problems, but hers are because her father refused to let her become a Trainer. He's overprotective and he probably means well since Unova is a dangerous region, but he shouldn't take his daughter for granted. I, on the other hand, refused to become a Trainer and, after seeing Bel…I feel disgusted with myself.

Here I am, bitching about the fact that I got kicked out of my own home and forced into my role as a Pokémon Trainer. And then there's Bel, who had to run away from home just to fulfill her role as a Pokémon Trainer that her father nearly denied her. I should feel lucky, under the circumstances that my family didn't deny me the right to become a Trainer. Though, I do question their motives for the fact that they kicked me out of the house as an incentive to get my ass moving.

I'm complaining again…and that reminded me. I never once have I heard Bel complain. Compared to me, Bel was a much better Trainer. Even if she did put up a mask, she at least moved forward and did something. Touya pretty much has to force me to keep going and my main motivation is to just accomplish what I was forced into to get back home. The only thing I managed to do on my own was get my ass nearly killed by a Pokémon. At this realization, I can confirm that I really am spoiled.

Can't I ever do anything right? Maybe I should just leave…save Touya the trouble of putting up with me. I already managed to pack some Pokémon food in my bag when he was gathering breakfast earlier. It might be harder on my own, but I have to grow up…right?

Bel's on the right track and this reflection I'm having is a sign that it's my turn to do the same… From here on out, I'm on my own… The next morning, I hope Touya won't be that surprised when he sees I am gone.

…

…

* * *

><p>AN End of chapter.

Yeah, OC's getting more serious with each chapter. It might be a sign that she's growing up. Hey, remember how OC didn't unpack her X-Transceiver when she got it? I actually did something like that with a watch my mom bought me. I unpacked it the night before my SATs so I had something to keep track of time. By the way, I got my scores a few days ago and I did pretty good! I got past the 1600's by at least a hundred! ^^

But if I want to get in the university I want to go to, I need to improve my math and writing scores…what pisses me off about my writing score is that I'm ten points off the minimum requirement. Bleh, I hate it when I'm SO close…well, time for notes!

(1) This is a reference to how I actually used Lambo's ability as a basis for this nifty little thing. I mean, I gotta put some limits in the Pokémon World. Plus, it makes sense since you've seen a lot of people in the Pokémon franchise take Thunderbolt, which is known as 100,000 volts in the Japanese version, and see them survive… The only way for that to happen is that people have to be very resistant to electricity. Current also plays a key role in this.

OC: "Let's begin a lesson from KD on current!"

Current is what determines the fatality of electrocution as people can only take a certain limitation of current that flows through their body. Current is measured in amperes, and, as you can see, this is where the Pokémon, Ampharos, got its name. Also, if you rearrange the letters of ampere in a certain way, you get Mareep and yes, that's where Mareep got its name. The amp in Ampharos is the SI unit of current, which is a measurement of flow of electric charge through a medium.

Current is determined by dividing voltage over resistance…that is Ohm's Law. Resistance can determine the magnitude of current as can voltage. It's consistent…I think? It's a little thing I learned in physics and while I may have hated physics for its equation, I won't lie that I love what I learned in that class. Plus, the teacher…I loved how hilarious he could be! Plus, it was because of him that I know what determined the death of people through electrocution… It's not voltage, but current and also, current type, but I won't get into that. Hope you found this lesson a little informative and I hope I didn't get most of it wrong. I had to depend on memory, Wikipedia, and my physics packets.

OC: "And that was Physics with KD!"

(2) It seems I can't give Cheren a break with him being the cause of unnerving mental images, but at least this time, it ain't mind-scarring, just…disturbing, in OC's case. OC's playing matchmaker and for her to have such a dream would throw her off and ruin potential chances she has of setting Cheren and Bel up.

(3) Think of Bel's animation sprite when you battle her.

(4) Yeah, this is where my love for the Japanese names of Pokémon are coming into play. I refuse to give Patrat its English onomatopoeia…I can't work with it! Its Japanese onomatopoeia, on the other hand…I can definitely work with. Just to let you know, Patrat's Japanese name is Minezumi…if you've read Our Last Pact, you should know this already. By the way, I am in the process of changing the Japanese names of Pokémon to English…but I'm keeping firm on the Japanese onomatopoeia because the transition from Japanese to English in terms of onomatopoeia is much more difficult than just changing the names…hope you guys can understand.

(5) Just to remind you guys, OC's father took the Hoenn route in his journey, so it shouldn't be that difficult to understand why he owns a Mightyena when he's in Unova. Of course, you should also remember that OC's parents moved to Unova because of Team Magma and Team Aqua.

(6) I keep thinking that this part was irrelevant, but then I thought…this way, it seems that OC is beginning to feel insecure. It fits in with her current insecurity…oh, and the height thing? Just decided to let you guys know just where they stand at and yes, they are short for their ages, but they are still growing. Expect some notice in growth sooner or later. Also, I have always seen Bel (Bianca, if you must know) being the shortest of the group and Cheren being the tallest.

I'm not sure if I made it clear that Touya was about the same height as OC earlier and if I made it so that it seemed that Touya was taller than OC…ignore that and sorry for the inconsistency! DX

(7) I've noticed sometime into this chapter that Bel and OC are rather alike. I also noticed they have differences as well and it is through OC's reflection of herself that she has realized that she might have been kicked out, but she was at least given the right to become a Trainer.

Well, that's as much as I got and sorry for the lack of updates. Got a little busy in the past week involving a beach trip with the girls and pictures…anyways, I'm back! And, hopefully, I get more updates done this month…I also hope to finally get a start with my summer homework.

I have a book to read and twenty-five entries to write in a journal about it, it being the _Scarlet Letter_, and a pre-calculus packet…gah…

You guys know the drill! I appreciate reviews, but NO FLAMES! Please…just don't flame…it does nobody any good and I rather have a reason for hating this fic, saying why it sucks, and whatnot, instead of just getting insults…

Huh, well, that's it for now. Wait patiently for the next chapter, so until then, KD out! XD


	8. Run Away

I sighed as I looked at my sleeping Pokémon as they huddled up against my chest. I couldn't go to sleep last night…and I think that was a good call. I looked at my X-Transceiver and sighed again… It was 04:30…I think I should go now before anything.

I turned to Bel and Touya. The two were both asleep, unlike me. Instead of continuing on to Striaton City yesterday after my battle with Bel, we decided to settle down for the rest of the day. Bel's Pokémon were both out of commission, my Snivy was out commission, leaving me only with Kairi, and Bel ran out of potions. When Touya finished helping Bel heal her Pokémon with our potions, we were down to one…yeah, buying potions without any badges kind of did a number on our wallet so we didn't have a lot of potions to start with.

Hey! It was either blow most of our money on potions, or get some potions and other healing items as well. I am _not_ going to go on a journey without at least a few antidotes, burn heals, and parlyz heals on hand! I left out ice heals for the fact that it's summer, and we're not in Ice Pokémon territory yet…so I'm safe for now. Although, the fact that I lacked any awakenings might end up biting me in the ass later on, but for the moment, I regret nothing.

…

…

Gah, insomnia sucked sometimes…I know was going to end up feeling the brunt of its effects later on, but for now…I should use whatever energy I had left before I started unwillingly conking out to leave. It was time for me to go…

I carefully returned Kairi and Ivy into their Poké balls and slowly made my way out of my sleeping bag. I didn't bother changing last night, so I didn't have to worry about my clothes. Now here came the hardest part about leaving…managing to do so without waking up Bel and Touya. The fact that we slept in a tent (Bel owned a tent) was nice and everything, except for one thing…it made leaving difficult as, not only do I have to get out of the tent without waking up my friends, but I also have a limited amount of room to move about in. I'm very glad I chose to sleep (which was something I actually didn't do...) near the tent's entrance. I made it somewhat easier to escape…

…

…

Unzipping the tent's flap was what got to me the most. I had to do it with the uttermost care and silence as to avoid waking up Touya and Bel. It didn't help that every little sound I managed to make seemed to be amplified to the point where I had to keep look back at my sleeping friends to make sure they weren't awake. I think it took me five whole minutes to get the flap open enough to my liking.

If I was anyone else, I would have gone crazy by now. I would have most likely given myself away by getting impatient, which would have been the case if I was in any other situation except right now. I spent the first four years of my life sharing a room with my parents and sleeping in a crib, half of those years were spent on climbing out of my crib and sneaking out of the room to watch cartoons downstairs. I've snuck out of my sister's tent during my first summer in Hoenn just so I can look at Pokémon on my own while my sister slept.

My sister had it in her mind that I was most likely going to get myself in trouble due to my ADHD and the fact that I was five years old at the time. Because of this, I was kept on a child harness, for my own safety, much to my dismay as I wanted to run around and not get held back by a fricken' harness.

When we camped out for the night in the woods, I would take whatever chance I had at figuring out a way to explore without being held back by the harness. It took me a few days to realize that my only choice was to sneak out. I fumbled the first time and managed to stay out of trouble by saying I heard something outside and wanted to see what it was. By chance, my excuse was validated by the fact that there _was_ something outside. It was a Silcoon that had fallen out of the tree we had camped under and that Silcoon ended up on my sister's team due to the fact that she lacked a bug Pokémon. She had lost her Ninjask to a Team Magma Grunt on the day I turned one, so my birthday counts as a day of mourning for my sister. That's why she usually gives me my birthday present sometime after the date of my actual birthday.

I learned quickly from that mistake and managed to successfully sneak out of the tent on my second try. And for the first month of my summer, I would sneak out late at night or early in the morning and go on my own. I preferred going out at night due to the fact that my sister was less likely to wake up than in the morning, but since I couldn't exactly see my surroundings at night… I had to deal with morning outings, which restricted me to a time limit, until I got a flashlight.

I was a full week into going on late night excursions when the day came that my secret had been discovered. How? Well, there's a reason why I despise my sister's Duskull… I'm the reason why my sister even _owned_ a Duskull in the first place! And here in lies the origin of how Socorro came into my sister's possession.

When I was coming back from one of my late night excursions, I managed to have caught the eye of a Duskull and here's the thing about Duskull…they love crying children. I was five years old, therefore a child that that Duskull could scare badly into crying…which it did!

And the bad thing about that was I had just arrived back at the campsite when that thing suddenly jumped out and scared me. The fact that I was outside of the tent with a flashlight when my sister came out and saw me was enough for her to figure out what I had been doing before that Duskull had scared me.

It was a miracle that my sister didn't punish me for sneaking out on my own. She even stopped putting using that harness since she had an alternative to make me stay within her sight. On the night she had discovered my secret, she had spotted that Duskull floating about above my head as I cried. My sister never owned a ghost Pokémon so she decided there and then that it was time for her to catch one…

Socorro the Duskull was the alternative to my sister using a harness on me. Socorro had been appointed as my babysitter and that damn ghost followed me _everywhere_. I rarely ever left my sister's side because Socorro would _scare_ me if I left my sister's side. Socorro, just as her name implied, was definitely a huge help to my sister…one that I could have done without as I actually preferred the harness to her.

…

…

I blinked a few times and shook my head. Dammit! I have got to stop blanking out and having flashbacks—oh crap! I looked back at Touya and Bel and resisted the urge to sigh in relief after seeing they were still asleep. I couldn't risk it…and I pushed all thoughts in my head out to avoid blanking out again.

I pushed out my backpack and sleeping bag out of the tent first. If Touya or Bel woke up right now, I could still fool them into thinking that nothing had been done by flopping onto my stomach and holding the tent's flap in a way that made it seem like it was closed. I looked back at my friends and watched them for a few moments before finally crawling out of the tent. It was a slow and rather painful (painful as in intensely nerve-racking) process.

I had managed to make it out of the tent when I suddenly heard Bel speak, "Mah…I lost again…"

My body immediately stilled and I found myself unable to move. I was, however, able to turn my head. I nearly sighed as I saw that Bel had just turned in her sleep with her Tepig in her arms. She talked in her sleep a bit, something about losing. I frowned…even in her dreams, she still lost… I hope Touya helped her out with that since I won't be able to…

I was about ready to close the tent when my X-Transceiver caught my attention. Touya knew my number…

…

…

I looked back at the tent, my left wrist no longer sporting the X-Transceiver I wore. I held my sleeping bag under one arm and had my backpack on. I wasn't even thinking of packing my sleeping bag just yet…not now…not while I was close by. They could still hear…

Touya will probably be pissed to find out he can't get in contact with me, but at least he won't have to put up with me anymore. I sighed and turned away from the campsite. It was time to go.

I waved goodbye and started walking. I never looked back…and when I did, the campsite had disappeared completely from my view.

At this time, I took the chance to finally pack my sleeping bag. Afterwards, I put on my backpack and continued on. I'm on my own again…just like my family when they went on their journey. I bit my lip, feeling a rather strong pang in my heart. I was alone…

I looked up at the sky, its color starting to lighten up from a dark blue to a much lighter blue. Clouds were beginning to fill the sky in wisps. The air felt fresh and the humidity that was present yesterday was absent…it was a perfect beginning for a day.

I inhaled deeply and sighed. It was time to start over, I guess… I really didn't know what to do, so I just let my mood get the best of me. And it brought me to this song. I was alone, so I didn't have to worry about people listening in on me. I smiled and began…

"_I see trees of green, red roses too._

_I see them bloom, for me and you._

_And I think to myself,_

_What a wonderful world."_

I always had a soft spot for this song… It somehow made me happy…

"_I see skies of blue, and clouds of white._

_The bright blessed day, dark sacred night._

_And I think to myself,_

_What a wonderful world."_

Okay, what were the next words to this song? Man, times like these, I really wish I had good memory… Let's see, let's see…colors…rainbows—got it! Man, I feel…awesome? No, that isn't it…it was much more different than that. For some reason, this song was getting difficult to sing…and it wasn't because I'm trying to remember lyrics.

I felt a bothersome sting in my eyes and rubbed them. My heart was beginning to throb and my throat feels like it has a lump in it. I breathed in and out, swallowing hard afterwards. I found it difficult to breathe, my face beginning to heat up as moisture began to cloud my vision. I wiped the moisture off my eyes using the back of my hands. I felt the tears start streaming down my cheeks, but I managed to let it not get to me…

"_Yes, I think to myself,_

_What a wonderful world—"_

I couldn't stop the sob that escaped my throat…The tears didn't stop coming. Knowing me, this would be the part where I started crying my heart out. I bit my lip and started running…running as fast as I could, just to get away from the campsite where Bel and Touya were at. I wanted to get as far as I could so I couldn't go back…because right now, there was no turning back anymore. Forward was the way to go…

I kept going until I tripped and fell onto the ground. I clenched my teeth as I felt the palms of my hands beginning to burn from the fall. Fortunately, I avoided any scrapes, but…that wasn't on my mind right now due to the fact that everything just came out all at once. I started crying, crying for reasons I can't really explain.

It took me a while to figure it out and by then, I was nearly done crying. I was all alone… I never knew that loneliness…hurt this much… I know I had my Pokémon to keep me company, but this was different… I just left my friends without telling them.

I didn't know how long I was lying there on the ground, crying…didn't have an X-Transceiver on me this time. I stiffened as I felt something brush up against my arm. I immediately turned and saw a flash of red.

"Who…who's there…?" Well, I'm scared…

"Oop…"

I blinked a few times as I noticed a strange weight on my head. It felt…oddly warm and smelled like embers. I felt something mess with my hair (my baseball cap was in my backpack) and I looked up. I blinked as I found myself staring into a pair of chocolate brown eyes.

My first thought was to scream, but I didn't. Instead, I just stared…what the hell was I staring at?

"Oop!"

I blinked again and, slowly, I reached for what was on my head. I grabbed it and pulled it off my head, finding whatever it was to be very soft and furry. I lowered whatever it was that I had in my hold and found that it was a Pokémon…a red monkey Pokémon, to be exact.

It stared at me with its oval-shaped brown eyes. "Bao…"

"What are you?" I asked.

The Pokémon just closed its eyes and smiled at me. "Baoppu!" (1)

I looked over the Pokémon and from what I could infer from its physiology, it was a fire-type Pokémon… A fire monkey…no, it wasn't a Chimchar, so what other fire monkey existed…

…

…

"Pansear?" I said as I looked at the Pokémon.

The Pokémon nodded its head. "Oop!"

Ah, so it was a Pansear…whoa, hold it! What was a Pansear doing here in my possession? Pansear were rare in the wild, so how did I…wow, I am really lucky! Unless this Pansear belonged to someone—dammit, it had a Poké ball around its neck!

I closed my eyes and sighed. "Too bad, I really wanted to catch you…"

"Pu!" the Pokémon exclaimed.

I opened my eyes and blinked as Pansear held out the Poké ball to me. "That's a nice…Poké ball you have there, but I'm sure your Trainer is worried about you…"

The Pansear narrowed its eyes at me and held out the Poké ball closer to my face. "Oop!"

"What do you want me to do?" Pansear looked angry and I already know that the temperature on the tuft on its head can reach 600 degrees when it was angry. I really didn't want it burning me…

The Pansear held out the Poké ball to me and then tapped the Poké ball on its head. It then held out the Poké ball to me. "Oop!"

I made a face. "Huh?"

Pansear scowled and took a swipe at my face. "Bao!"

I barely avoided its swipe and I felt immensely miffed right now. That monkey just called me an idiot!

"Baoppu, bao!" it exclaimed, holding out the Poké ball in its hand.

It took me a few moments, but it suddenly clicked. I took the Poké ball out of the Pansear's possession and gently tapped the Poké ball on its head. The Pokémon entered the ball with a smile on its face. I stared at the Poké ball for a full minute afterwards.

"What just happened?"

…

…

* * *

><p>AN End of chapter.

Bleh…I don't like how this chapter was in the middle, but I liked how it ended! Hey guys, this was where I left off in _Our Last Pact_…when a Baoppu (Pansear) came across Touko (or rather, Touya, as Touko is a cross-dresser) and chose her as its Trainer. In this story, a Pansear similar to the one that found Touko in _Our Last Pact_ has come across OC.

So what had just happened right now was that Pansear had allowed OC to become its Trainer and the Poké ball on its neck? That was from its previous Trainer that had released it due to being motivated by one of Ghetsis speeches. It's explain in Our Last Pact and since I already told you that _I am Trainer_ is an AU of _Our Last Pact_, be prepared to see a reappearance of Pokémon from that fic… Like Florence the Lilligant, Ryuu the Axew, and Coco the vicious Purrloin kitten…yeah, Coco might not make a real appearance, but she'll still get a mention. :D

Oh, name of the day, here!

Socorro: It's a Spanish name and it means help...by the way, if anyone has heard George Lopez, then you're probably familiar with the name because that's where I got it. XD OC's got her own Socorro.

Also, you learned a bit about OC and a moment of her life. It just came out...I had to explain why OC KNEW how to sneak out of a tent and how she even knew how to sneak out in the first place... She's had years of practice, but it only works when she's sneaking away from people who are sleeping.

(1) Pansear is another Pokémon that will keep its Japanese onomatopoeia…and just to let you know ahead of time, Pansage and Panpour will also keep their Japanese onomatopoeia as well! ^^

Oh, and a quick disclaimer: I don't own _What a Wonderful World_! I decided the song was appropriate for OC to sing since she's trying to be optimistic and the song gives a tone of optimism to me. Plus, just to give you a bit of insight on OC's Pansear…her singing is what caught s attention in the first place and thus, why OC now owns a Pansear. Yup…yeah, that's about it for this chapter. Filler kinda sucks, but I wanted to get this all out so I could get a good start on the next chapter…why? Because OC be reaching Striaton City next chapter! :D

She also meets up with a certain green-haired young man…can you guys guess who? XD Remember…this is Striaton City, it might be one person, it may be the other…who it is she meets first…we'll just have to wait until the next chapter!

Reviews are love…just don't FLAME! DX I don't like flames… Well, wait patiently for the next chapter. Till next time, KD out! XD


	9. The Chase

I stared into Pansear's brown eyes, my expression rather blank. Pansear just smiled as it stared back at me.

"So…" I have that Poké ball it had around its neck in my hand now, so does that mean… "You're my Pokémon, now?"

"Oop!" Pansear nodded.

Wow, that was an easy catch and, what's more, it was free, no payment whatsoever and no consequences as well! And Pansear's a fire-type…I now owned a grass, water, _and_ fire! I got the basic elementals down! My previous feeling of sadness suddenly disappeared as my heart suddenly felt all warm and fuzzy…

"Welcome to the team, Pansear!" I exclaimed as I immediately picked up Pansear and hugged the little fire monkey. "We are going to have so much fun…beat up so many Trainers…and all that good stuff—hold on…"

Pansear looked questioningly at me. "Oop?"

"Are you a boy…or a girl?" I asked, eyeing Pansear carefully. "I'm not checking down there, just so you know…"

I'm not Bel and I rather avoid any awkward situations with my Pokémon. Though, it seemed that Pansear had no clue what I was asking it…at least, that's what I thought.

"Bao!" it replied.

I narrowed my eyes and made a face. I forgot…I can't understand my own Pokémon yet…damn our language barrier! Is this what my parents had to put up with? Wait, what language am I speaking right now? Crap! Okay, remember what you learned in school… Unova, has a wide-range of languages spoken by people, but there are two languages that are especially crucial for people to know, the Pokémon League and its affiliates especially. These two languages are taught in schools and out in order to avoid any language barriers. The existing language barrier in Unova has lessened because of this. It still tends to happen, but rarely.

Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and a few other regions used to suffer from its language barriers due to the lack of diversity in language. Since Generation III, though, Unova's tactic in lessening the language barrier had been picked up and implemented in other regions. This has actually proved successful. Of course, there is still a lacking diversity in language, but it isn't as much of a problem now as it was back then.

I remember this, but I still can't remember what language I'm speaking...

…

…

Okay, I'm just going to ignore this and figure it out later. Right now, my main problem with Pansear is I have no clue what gender she…he—zhe is. It's Kairi all over again, only difference…I don't have a name for this guy!

"Pansear, give me a few minutes, I need to give you a name…" I need a name that can also apply to both genders, like Kairi's name, since I don't know Pansear's gender… I don't know any good names that could refer to Pansear's fire-typing, so I'm going to have to resort to basing Pansear's name on something else.

Fire also gives off heat, so I have heat as a reference…

…

…

"I got it!" I exclaimed. "As of this day forth, you shall be known as Natsuki!"

"Natsu" can mean summer, which is where my reference to heat is used. Plus, it's near close to summer, even if it's a good two to three weeks before the first day of summer. Once I get out of school for summer vacation, I consider it summer…

Natsuki the Pansear seemed to take a liking to his/her name…I'm just going to refer to Natsuki as female…I just did a coin flip and the outcome was heads (for female). So as of now, I still have a team full of strong ladies—I got it! (1)

"We shall be known as Team Amazon!" I exclaimed as I pointed my index finger to the sky. "We shall have a huge winning streak and we will make it big!"

"Baoppu…" Natsuki remarked.

I blinked a few times and looked Natsuki. "What was that?"

Natsuki didn't have a chance to reply as she suddenly flinched. "Bao!"

"What's wrong?" I stilled for a second as I felt something land on my head. I looked up at the sky and closed my eyes as a drop of water landed on my forehead.

Oh, great…it's starting to rain—oh, crap! I got a fire Pokémon in my possession, no umbrella, and it's starting to rain! I knew I should have stolen Touya's umbrella—actually, no, that was suicide in terms of my chances of escaping him without notice.

Well, there goes bonding with Natsuki right now…Fire-type Pokémon don't particularly like the rain as it weakened their abilities. I sighed and returned Natsuki to her Poké ball. I'll just have to wait until I get out of the rain before letting Natsuki out of her Poké ball. I wonder what she had to say…

I mean, I think I'm slowly starting to understand my Pokémon…just not that much… Well, time to get moving. It's just a little rain—

"Oh, god, why?" I exclaimed as the rain started coming down faster and harder.

Within seconds, I was drenched to the bone. To make matters more unbearable, my vision was obstructed by a strong gale that seemed to come from every direction. My hair was all over the place, I had to cover my face to keep the rain from hitting me in the eye, and I was cold…

WOOOSH!

Oh, crap! That was way too strong for my liking! I nearly lost my balance that time…

_Whhhwhhhwhhh!_

My eyes widened and my body stilled the moment I heard that sound. My heart started to pound and a sense of cruel déjà vu nearly made me panic…nearly. Whatever fear I felt right now was immediately replaced with rage as I had had enough of whatever it was that wanted me to not be on my own! I was not planning on dying this time! Hell no, you can just go suck it, Arceus!

I tightened my fists and turned around, finding myself facing…nothing.

_Whhhwhhhwhhh!_

"GAH! THAT IS IT!" I yelled. "What the fuck do you want with me?"

Silence…huh, well I just made an ass out of myself—

_Whhhwhhhwhhh!_

I growled. "I swear to Arceus, if it's you, Thundurus, I'm going to strangle you with my bare hands, even if it kills me, which will most likely happen, but I don't give a damn! I was kicked out of my own house and forced to become a Trainer, I got attacked by a pack of Patrat not long after leaving my hometown, I made a friend who bruised my wrist, got in a fight with one of my best guyfriends, and then you nearly kill me—for no fucking reason! If this was any other encounter—I repeat, ANY OTHER encounter…I would have been scared shitless, but I'm NOT! I'm pissed off because you came at me at a _very_ bad time… I advise you to leave me the fuck alone, or else, because this bitch…has just _snapped_."

"Torn…" a voice said, rather amused.

I froze. That…wasn't Thundurus…was it? Slowly, I turned around and bit back the scream that wanted to escape my mouth. It was SO not Thundurus…but it looked almost like Thundurus, only green, had more purple, and it had two horns on the top of its head instead of one. It stared at me with its yellow eyes.

"Tornadus…" it said.

"Aw, crap…" I took a few steps back and resisted the urge to scream when the Pokémon followed after me. It did nothing but stare at me in a curious manner. For some reason, I think it found me interesting—was that thing staring at my chest? I looked down and scowled.

Another white t-shirt (this was more for me wearing something to keep cool in hot weather…it's a science-related thing I learned more in-depth about in physics)…and damn that pink bra (why do I even own one in this color?)…and that perverted Pokémon! "Fucking pervert!"

"To-oo-rn…" The Pokémon seemed to be laughing.

"Go away…" I said. "I'm not in the mood—what are you?"

"Tornadus!" the Pokémon exclaimed.

I stared blankly at it. "Uh…I'm just going to check your Pokédex entry…don't move, okay?"

Was I really talking to this Pokémon that reminded me of that bastard Thundurus that nearly killed me? Huh, I'm a very different person when angered—well, it does help that I'm sort of sleep deprived. Gah, I give myself another hour or so before I start going loopy…

"Let's see, let's see…" I said as I used my finger to scroll down the lift of Pokémon in my Pokédex. "…Found ya…"

This Pokémon was actually quite obedient… It listened to me and even waited for me to bring up its Pokédex entry. If only Thundurus was the same way by NOT trying to kill me! Bastard Pokémon…I'm still firm on strangling that thing with my bare hands, even if it DOES kill me. Considering I'm never suicidal since I love life (as crappy as my life may be), this might just be the anger talking…

"_**Tornadus, the Cyclone Pokémon. **__**Tornadus expels massive energy from its tail, causing severe storms. Its power is great enough to blow houses away.**__**The lower half of its body is wrapped in a cloud of energy. It zooms through the sky at 200 mph (300 km/h)."**_

Well, crap…that meant escape was pretty much futile… That doesn't mean I won't try! Well, time to leg it!

…

…

"No way, bullshit!" I glared at Tornadus, who was now blocking my way…what the hell? Tornadus was back there a few seconds ago when I bolted—oh, right…Pokédex entry. Well, I feel stupid for forgetting what I just read, ah dur…but still! "Bullshit!"

"Torn?" Tornadus said.

"Yes, I'm calling bullshit on you!" I exclaimed as I pointed at Tornadus. "Why don't you just go away and leave me alone?"

Tornadus shrugged…yes, Tornadus _shrugged_. Tornadus does in fact understand me!

"Look, what is it about me that is so damn interesting?" I yelled at Tornadus. "What do you want, asshole?"

Tornadus pointed at me. "Nadus…"

I froze as, even though I didn't understand Tornadus, something told me that Tornadus…was referring to _me_. I held out my Pokédex at Tornadus and looked at its entry again. I made a small discovery that I didn't see earlier…Tornadus was male only. As if his physiology didn't make that obvious, I had to see it before I even considered it!

…

…

Oh, god…oh, god…no…no way, no fucking way, it cannot be—I think Tornadus likes me…in _that_ way. And yes, there are Pokémon who are like that! There are freaking myths in which Pokémon have abducted people in the past for various reasons in various scenarios, one of which is eerily starting to feel like déjà vu. It doesn't help that myths sometimes involve real-life events, so the fact that some of them might be real is kind of disturbing. Like, there was this one case a few years back where a man married a woman and had a kid…and later, it turned out that woman he married was a _Zoroark_! There is a myth similar to such a scenario that _exists_! The disturbing thing about Pokémon is that some are actually _capable_ of reproducing with humans…as are humans with Pokémon.

It's not exactly taboo for a human and a Pokémon to have relations. In fact, it is not uncommon for humans and Pokémon to form intimate, loving relationships and even marry…Sinnoh handles the legality of these marriages. It's an extremely serious subject not to be taken lightly as a joke. Speaking of which, there is a myth involving this same topic in existence. This is yet another myth that just so happens to be true... (2)

Why is this happening to me?! Oh, Arceus, why?! If this is payback for telling you to suck it, I was just pissed off! I didn't mean it! Okay, just try to sneak away…

"Torn!" Tornadus exclaimed before blocking my exit.

"Arceus dammit, go away!" I yelled. "Leave me alone, I'm not interested!"

"Torn…adus…"

…

…

Oh, god! He's enjoying my reaction, smug bastard! I can take this anymore, must flee! I pulled out one of my Poké balls and pointed up at the sky. "Kairi, for the love of Arceus, help me!"

Kairi appeared out of her Poké ball in midair…and then gravity took effect. I was quick to catch her in my arms and point her at Tornadus.

"Water Gun that motherfucker!" I exclaimed. "No questions asked!"

It's raining right now, so Kairi's water type attacks should be powered up! I know, even with the power up, Kairi's Water Gun would most likely do nothing to Tornadus, but it should STILL be enough to distract him long enough to get the fuck out of here!

Kairi inhaled deeply and opened her mouth. "Oshawott!"

A large jet of water shot out of Kairi's mouth and hit Tornadus right in the face.

"Torn!" Tornadus exclaimed as he immediately shut his eyes.

Kairi ceased her attack and the exact moment I saw Tornadus wiping his face, I bolted. I didn't have time to go around Tornadus, so I had to go _under_ him. Thankfully, the rain made the ground slick with mud and the fact that I wasn't wearing any shoes and the lower half of Tornadus's body was a cloud made it much easier for me to slide under him. Kairi and I got covered in mud a bit, but I didn't give a damn! I wanted to escape! I'm not sure about Kairi, but I think she could understand my urgency.

"Don't look back, don't look back…" I said to myself repeatedly. "Don't look back, don't look—goddammit!"

I ended up slipping and falling onto the ground…and mud splattered all over Kairi and me. We were dirty, but we kind of didn't care once we heard Tornadus roar.

My eyes widened as I clenched my teeth. "Don't…look…back!"

"Osha!" Kairi exclaimed.

Goddammit, fine! I looked over my shoulder and immediately regretted it as I ended up taking a look at Tornadus. He did not look pleased…he was pissed off! Oh, Arceus…I really had to get out of here!

"Run like hell!" I exclaimed as I scrambled to get off the ground.

I swear, when my sister said I might lose weight on this journey, I didn't think I'd lose it this way! I thought I would lose it from the lack of easy access to food, which would get it in my mind to eat less to save food for later. That's it, she is SO hearing from me about this! That's if I managed to escape…Tornadus pretty much wants my panties to wear on his head (I'm trying to calm myself down with a little humor, so let me be!), so I have to leg it! (3)

Suppress the urge to scream…suppress it, dammit! "AAAGGGGHHHH!"

Goddammit…I can't do nothing right! Wait, double negative…bleh, whatever! I'm being chased! I could care less about my grammar at the moment! Just keep running! Keep running, Striaton City shouldn't be too far…oh, god…I feel…urk…

"No, not again…" I think it might be because of the anxiety and the fact that I am really pushing myself to my limits, and I'm surprised I am actually capable of running this fast. My legs are still sore and all…I think that might be adrenaline—crap, I _am_ reaching my limits.

How long have I been running? Not that long, most likely…dammit, how I WISHED I were my sister! Gah, I'm only good for keeping a good pace, but that is not useful in this situation! Everything feels hot, even though the rain is making the air feel cold. My nose is freezing, my lungs are on fire, and my chest is hurting! Not to mention, my heart is pounding and it's starting to hurt to breathe…I want to stop—

"Oshawott osha!" Kairi yelled at me.

Kairi was right…I cannot stop running! Besides, my sister's words were starting to pop up in mind…

"_Do not slow down for even a moment when you are running…you will only tire yourself out more."_

Ah, how I'm actually appreciating my sister's words of wisdom…even if she did overexert me a few times. I'm probably overexerting myself right now as I continued running…oh, crap!

"TORN!" Tornadus was blocking my way!

"Kairi, you know the drill!" I'm preparing to slide under Tornadus…

Kairi nodded her head as I threw her up in the air. We only had one chance…we could not afford to mess up! Kairi used her Water Gun attack on Tornadus and hit him right in the face. I slid under Tornadus at that moment. I held out my arms, hoping that Kairi managed to make it over Tornadus. She did…and, fortunately for me, she landed right in my arms. We were getting some good distance on Tornadus until we came across some very thick bushes…

I had a choice between running some more and hoping to make it to Striaton City, which was probably around…I have no clue just how far away we are, so that was a gamble. My other option was to jump in the bushes and hope to Arceus (please accept my apology!) that Tornadus leaves…if not, I was going to have to pull off some Solid Snake sans the cardboard box as I might have to use the bushes instead. It was as much of a gamble as continuing running, but it had a higher probability of working out…

So I chose the bushes and dove right in. I was trying my hardest to keep breathing through my nose so I didn't accidentally give myself away with my breathing. Kairi was trying her hardest to calm me down… I really wish I didn't have this luck…of all the things that had to happen to me, the one that disturbed me the most (there aren't a lot as I'm barely on day five of my adventure…), it was that Tornadus took a liking to me…and most likely wanted to take me along. Hell no, I am not going to let myself be abducted by a Pokémon, especially a male Pokémon… I AM NOT LETTING MY LIFE END UP LIKE A MYTH! FUCK. THAT.

I had almost calmed down until I noticed something… My footprints were still on the pathway I had been running on! Crap! The rain would wash them away in a few minutes or so, but it wasn't fast enough to keep Tornadus off my track! I had to keep moving! I placed Kairi down on the ground and motioned at her to stay quiet. She just stared at me, but at least managed to stay quiet.

"I need you to go forward, but make sure you stay in the bushes…" I whispered. "And please try to keep me from screaming…the same goes for you…understand?"

Kairi nodded and started moving forward. What a good little otter thing…I breathed in deeply through my nose and exhaled the same way. I adjusted my backpack so I wasn't wearing it on my back anymore, but on the front of my body. I then got on all fours and started crawling after Kairi.

By now, Tornadus had discovered my disappearance from the pathway and started looking around. I wish I wasn't looking at him, otherwise, I wouldn't feel _that_ scared. I guess not looking at him would be scarier as I wouldn't know what he was doing, and not knowing was a bit scarier than knowing.

Kairi and I had managed to get a good distance away from Tornadus, who was still stuck at the same spot where we were previously in the bushes. It was a good thing Kairi and I had started moving because at this exact moment, Tornadus used what I believe to be Air Slash on the bushes Kairi and I had been in first before moving.

It was a huge close call, because all the leaves on the bushes had been knocked off by Tornadus's attack. Had we still been in there…Tornadus would have caught us.

"TORNADUS!" he roared.

And now Tornadus was completely pissed off as he started throwing out Air Slashes from left to right. Trees began to topple over from feeling the brunt of a pissed-off Tornadus's Air Slash attack. Once Tornadus had ceased his attacks for the moment, numerous trees littered the ground, many of them blocking the way on the pathway I had used.

Well, now I don't have to worry about having second thoughts and going back…or Touya and Bel getting on my case that quickly. However, that's the least of my concerns as I just witnessed what Tornadus was capable of… I had been taking him for granted the second I came across him…even after I had read his Pokédex entry!

Tornadus was capable of flying at speeds that he obviously wasn't doing when he was chasing after me…He was messing around with me, that bastard! He knows I can't outrun him, yet he's letting me…and now he's regretting doing that. I got lucky that I took advantage of him when I had a chance…

Maybe I shouldn't have left Touya and Bel—though, what are the chances that this still would have happened, even if I were still with them?

…

…

Not as likely as the only reason why Tornadus took a liking to me was because I yelled at him, threatened him (even though the threat was aimed at Thundurus…), and insulted him (even after I found out what he was capable of…). I pretty much dug my own grave! The only positive aspect about Tornadus is that he's not aiming to kill me, but the fact that he's interested in me pretty much negates the positivity of that aspect…

Must…keep…crawling…thank…Arceus…for the abundance…in bushes…apologize as well…while at it… Gah, I need to check my map…and I'm starting to regret not bringing my X-Transceiver now…what if Tornadus DOES managed to get me? And I just finished catching myself a new friend…luck be shitty with me!

"Osha…" Kairi said quietly.

I blinked and looked back. Tornadus was out of sight…okay, I should use this moment to take my map out of my backpack. I was quick to take it out as well as quickly turn on the power. I didn't have to worry about pinpointing my location as my map did that for me! Praise be to the Town Map!

I checked the distance to Striaton City and nearly cursed out loud. It was still a good distance away, it'd probably take me an hour to get there…via running. No, fuck no…I cannot run for that long! My best bet is to continue going through the bushes…which I will do right after I put away this map. Gah…I hate Tornadus!

…

…

Tornadus was slowly gaining on us and unintentionally nearly getting us killed with his habit of knocking down trees every few minutes or so. The fallen trees almost crushed us, but after avoiding that, it gave Kairi and me some time to rush through the bushes. I have no idea how long we had been at it, but Tornadus was very damn persistent. Thundurus wasn't as persistent, in fact, he ignored Touya and I after a short chase. Why can't you be like Thundurus, Tornadus?!

I suppressed a yelp as I nearly slipped on the mud. Fricken' rain…making the ground all muddy and slippery—I got an idea! Slip and slide…only with mud and it is more slide than slip…kinda like Alvida and her Devil fruit powers in One Piece. Okay, then! Let's do this, Alvida-style!

Right after I get a good distance away from Tornadus so I can get a head start…I need something to distract him…you know what? Forget the distraction, I really don't have time for this…I need to keep moving!

I kept going until Tornadus was out of my view. At that exact moment, I grabbed onto Kairi and crawled out of the bush. The heavy rain made the ground extremely muddy by now, so everything was seemingly going well for my plan to work! I faced the opposite way of the direction I wanted to go. For my plan to work, I have to be facing this way, otherwise I'll go the wrong way.

"TORNADUS!"

Crap, I've been spotted! "Kairi, use Water Gun on the ground…now! Whatever you do, do not stop!"

Kairi didn't bother questioning me and just did what she was told. A large jet of water shot out of her mouth and hit the ground, making mud splatter up in the air…and just in time as I was nearly in Tornadus's reach!

Tornadus roared as mud splattered over his face and kept him occupied as he quickly tried to wipe it off his eyes. While he did that, I noticed that I was getting farther and farther away from Tornadus as I felt something push me back. I turned my attention to Kairi and grinned widely as her attack on the ground did what I wanted it to do.

With the ground all muddy and slippery and me with a water-type Pokémon in my possession, I found a way to use this to my advantage. The ground was slick enough to easily slide on and, using the force of Kairi's Water Gun on the ground, Kairi and I were sliding in the direction of Striaton City.

It was a slow start at first, but within seconds, the trees and bushes were nothing but a blur. Tornadus wasn't within sight, and Kairi and I were heading to Striaton City! All was good…except for one thing…Kairi had a limit to how long she could keep using Water Gun. I was reminded of this a bit too late into sliding and it took me until we were slowing down to remember.

At first, I questioned this, but when I looked at Kairi, I nearly slapped myself for being stupid. I had forgotten that, just like me, Kairi had her limits. She was breathing heavily, trying her hardest to catch her breath.

"Oh, I'm sorry, sweetie…I didn't mean to let this happen…" I really feel bad… "Take a break, for now…"

I turned around and decided it was my turn to do the moving. I decided to try sliding on mud on my own… It took me a few close calls with the ground before I got the hang of keeping my balancing as I slid on the mud. It was like rollerblading, though without the rollerblades. I have forgotten just how it felt to use rollerblades…I was never good at it, anyways. My rollerblading skills are like my skateboarding skills…they don't exist. At least with rollerblades, I can actually get somewhere. I can't even get on a fricken' skateboard…Touya can and Touko has the rollerblading skills I lack.

Though, sliding on the mud was rather fun…it was like carpet sliding with newspapers!

…

…

…I discovered that I can slide on the carpet using newspapers when I almost slipped on one. I stopped trying after a few times when the friction started to burn the soles of my feet. Fricken' friction…at least the mud has less friction, meaning less heat… Ah, physics, you never seem to leave my life. (4)

It was rather calming…and then Tornadus reappeared. Kairi's shriek and Tornadus's loud voice noted me of that. "Fucking hell!"

"Osha!" Kairi exclaimed.

"Huh?" I looked at Kairi. "You wanna give it another go?"

Kairi nodded and I slid to a stop. I quickly turned around afterwards and Kairi used Water Gun on the ground…just in time. A repeat of what happened earlier, ended with Tornadus getting mud to the face once more and Kairi and I heading towards Striaton City at a much faster pace.

This time around, I was much smarter with Kairi. I kept a sixty-second time limit on how long Kairi could use Water Gun before telling Kairi to stop and take a break. Once we started slowing down after that, I told Kairi to continue using Water Gun.

After I counted to sixty enough to equal ten minutes (that's six-hundred seconds), the storm suddenly grew worse. As if it wasn't bad enough before…I guess Kairi and I pissed off Tornadus to his limits…meaning…balls! I needed to check my map!

"Kairi, I need you to stop and grab on tightly to my shirt…I need to take out my map!" I hate inconvenience…why did I put my backpack back onto my back again—oh, so I can hold Kairi in my arms. The things I do for love…

I quickly took off my backpack, mentally cursing for not letting Ivy out of her Poké ball to help me with my backpack. I then unzipped it and pulled out the almighty Town Map! I swear I could hear angels singing as I turned on the map. I checked my distance and nearly dropped the map as I noticed just how close Kairi and I were. Forget angels, I heard a _chorus_ singing as I found out we were just a mile away from Striaton City…fuck this mud sliding, I'm going to leg it! Kairi needs her break…it's my job as a Trainer to care for my Pokémon, not let them take care of me!

I dropped my map back into my backpack, zipped it up, and put it on my back. I managed to do that by the time I stopped sliding…just in time. I wrapped my arms around Kairi and turned around. I could see buildings from here! Oh, Arceus, yes…yes!

"Kairi…I want to let you know…I really do love you…you, Ivy, and Natsuki."

"Osha…?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you! Team Amazon gained another strong, lovely lady!" Ah, I'm going to love this team…

"TORNADUS!"

Whhhwhhhwhhh!

Once I managed to get away from this damn Tornadus! Gah, I really wish it had been Thundurus that I had encountered. I think I prefer potential death to being some Pokémon's…I rather not speak of this until I am far away from that unwanted suitor…pfft, some suitor he is. I thought this only happened in manga…well, time to leg it!

"Cheese it!" I exclaimed.

And so began my run to Striaton City. I had limited endurance, my adrenaline was surprisingly in effect since I have yet to feel any pain in my legs from all this running, and my sides are hurting. Okay, it's raining hard, the wind is howling, got a Pokémon wanting my panties (humor, dammit!), and…well, I think that's better than almost dying since the last time I went on my own. Still, that doesn't mean I actually prefer this to almost dying…fucking Tornadus!

I wonder what would happen if I try to catch him…wait, if I do that…I'd just end up giving him closer access to me—DO NOT WANT! Hey, what's that over there? Is that…

"YES!" I yelled.

I could see the entrance to Striaton City! The entrance…it's so beautiful…I feel like crying…but not now…Must…keep…running! Tornadus seemed to be getting desperate now as the wind was blowing the leaves off trees. The leaves went everywhere and I mean everywhere! I had some in my hair, in my face—my eyes!

Okay, I know where I'm going…I'm moving forward! But am I really? I didn't have to find out the hard way as Kairi was being a sweetie and used a weak Water Gun to wash the leaves off my eyes. I wiped my eyes and smiled at Kairi.

"Thank you…" I turned my attention back at the entrance to Striaton City.

So…fucking…close! I'm…not…fast enough! "Kairi, get on my shoulder and use Water Gun on the ground! Do it, now!"

Kairi obeyed and hopped onto my shoulder. And then began yet another repeat of what had happened earlier with Water Gun, the ground, and Tornadus. Tornadus got more mud to the face and Kairi and I were heading to freedom!

"WE MADE IT!" I yelled as I made the transition to ground to pavement on the ground…and almost fell onto it in the process. I looked back at Tornadus, who was still wiping mud off his face. I stuck my tongue out at him and then gave him the finger.

"Suck it, Tornadus, suck it long and hard!" I exclaimed before turning back to Striaton City. "I won, bitch!"

…

…

…

"Okay, we need to hide in an alley, quick!" I exclaimed moments after making it through the entrance.

And so we did… I leaned back against the wall and started panting. Dear Arceus, I was exhausted…

THUD!

I collapsed onto the ground and ignored the dumpster right next to me…and the bag that was moving—wait! Trash bags don't move—

"Tru!" it said.

"Oh, god, it lives!" I exclaimed as I backed away.

The trash bag stared at me with its oval-shaped eyes. This trash bag not only talks, but it has eyes! What is wrong with this—hold on, I think I know what it is… I reached into my pocket and pulled out my wet Pokédex. Thank Arceus for it being waterproof…

"_**Trubbish, the Trashbag Pokémon. Trubbish prefer to live in dirty places like garbage dumps. It is said they were born when a chemical reaction occurred between an abandoned trashbag and industrial waste."**_

Ah, so it's a Trubbish—what is it doing here in Striaton City? It's not even a dirty place…oh, of course, this is an alley and there's a dumpster in it. It might be that, or this Trubbish was abandoned. It happens…it's sad, actually.

"Trubbish tru!" the Trubbish said.

I blinked and just stared at it. "…You're cute."

I swear, that Trubbish just blushed…I'm serious about it being cute… However, I am currently in a mental debate whether or not I want to catch this adorable Pokémon. It's a poison-type, so it would do me good, but do I really want it on the team? Hmm…I really need to think this out…

I mean, it stinks, but that might just be the dumpster. Blegh…don't throw up, don't throw up! Oh, god that isn't from the smell! I managed to get up and throw up behind the dumpster.

My throat burns, my eyes are watery and it didn't help that it was still raining! At least the rain wasn't that heavy, in fact, it was starting to turn into a light drizzle, meaning…yes! Tornadus left me alone! Woo!

I sat back down and wiped my mouth. "My stomach hurts…"

"Osha-osha…" Kairi said as she patted my lap.

"Tru…"

I looked at Trubbish and noticed it looked concerned. "Hey, if you think I threw up because of you…I didn't. My stomach really does hurt…"

I think I might have overexerted myself…damn Tornadus! I probably have to watch myself from here on out, now…

"Trubbish…" Trubbish walked over to me and sat right by my side.

"Ya know…I would catch you, but I think I know someone who might like you." I was once told by Professor Juniper that Touya asked her for a Trubbish when he was much younger. I don't if he still wanted a Trubbish now, but it wouldn't hurt to try. "If he doesn't want you, I'm keeping you…understand?"

Trubbish closed its eyes and saluted me using one of its "hands". "Trub!"

"We're great friends already." I smiled and patted Trubbish on the head. "I wonder how you ended up here…"

"Trubbish trub…" Trubbish frowned.

Kairi looked sympathetically at Trubbish. "Oshawott osha…"

Ah, so Trubbish was abandoned…well, that is just a shame! Trubbish is such a sweetie… I really want to meet the guy who had the balls to abandoned this Pokémon! I'm gonna smack that guy if I ever see him/her…

"Well, I guess we should get going," I sighed as I stood up. "We need to get to a Pokémon Center…"

I wanted to take a shower and changed out of these wet clothes so badly… What time is it? Great, not this again…well, my fault for leaving my X-Transceiver. Hah… "C'mon, Trubbish, we're leaving."

"Tru!" Trubbish chirped.

Trubbish followed me out of the alley and into the streets of Striaton City. This was a huge place…damn! I have never been here before, so I have no clue where everything is. Time to get lost…yay…It's official, I'm going to get sick after this.

…

…

* * *

><p>AN End of chapter.

Probably the easiest (and also hardest) chapter I had to write…yeah…ugh…by the way, the whole Tornadus thing…I explain that in a note.

(1) I actually did flip a coin and it came up heads, which was female. So Natsuki is currently a girl…it's not official yet, so don't get your hopes up!

(2) Because I can…actually, the reason I did this was for reasons I have yet to figure out except finding a way for OC to freak out. And the reason why Sinnoh handles the legality of those marriages…looked up Sinnoh Myths one day and found out this little tidbit.

In the literal translation of Sinnoh Folk Story 3, the myth originally referred to Pokémon and people marrying each other. This is what we got from the localized version.

There once were Pokémon that

became very close to humans.

There once were humans and Pokémon

that ate together at the same table.

It was a time when there existed no

differences to distinguish the two.

However, after finding out about that…I could still see hints of the literal translation. Eating at the same table, Pokémon and humans being very close, and no differences to distinguish the two… It's basically a marriage life in a sense… So I decided to use that myth and make it a reality. :D Plus, I got into reading Pokémon Creepypasta (do not look it up if you want to sleep) and one of them, Pokémon Legend (it's on deviantart), had a lot of things that I decided to use…one of which was marriage between humans and Pokémon. Yeah…just let it be!

Oh, and about Tornadus…yeah, it'll be in the next note.

(3) This…is a _Black Adventures_ reference. Look at this link: blackadventurescomic.(c o m) 2011 /11 /02/ episode -20-part -02/

…and be prepared to never look at Tornadus the same way. Okay, originally, I planned on OC just pissing off Tornadus. However, because of _Black Adventures_…I had it in my mind to do something like what happened in this chapter. In Black Adventures, the Kami trio all have different traits...Landorus is the responsible oldest brother having to clean up for every mess his brothers make, Thundurus was a pervert, and Tornadus was the worse than Thundurus...he was a panty thief, but a damn good one. He stole Skyla's panties...and she's wearing _shorts_!

I seriously don't know why I had it in mind to have Tornadus interested in OC, but I guess that might have just been because of my fricken' encounter rate with the guy in my Black game… I have yet to catch him because he always breaks out of his Poké ball. I always manage to find him again, but, as always, he avoids capture…bah.

Anyways, _Black Adventures_ is by far the best Pokémon webcomic to grace the web…you HAVE to read it…the art-style is like Adventure Time and tends to switch art-style from time to time, usually to parody something. It is hilarious and there are so many shout outs and references to other stuff…like _Panty and Stocking_. Read it…

(4) Actually, I've done that before and it is fun…but the friction does burn! Also, I'm not sure if sliding on mud would work this way, but work with me, dammit! DX Deal with it…

Okay, that was chapter nine and OC is FINALLY in Striaton City…and sorry, I lied. OC has yet to meet any green-haired young men yet…but I'm serious! Next chapter, she will! I promise!

Reviews are love, but NO FLAMES! DX Well, until next time, KD out! XD


	10. Relief

I sighed as Kairi, Trubbish, and I sat on a bench in what might have been the center of this city. After what I could assume to be an hour, the only thing we have managed to do was get even more lost. There weren't any people outside, so I couldn't ask for any directions. The only positive aspect of this was that there was a small clock tower in the center of this place. What I have managed to find out was that it was…07:30. It has been three hours since I left Touya and Bel…and I could probably assume that at least _one_ of those hours was spent running away from Tornadus. That Pokémon really was persistent…bah, I hate him so…

I wonder how long I have been here…I really wish I had my X-Transceiver, but then I might have to put up with Touya's angry messages. Though, I really have to question…

"Why the fuck am I still doing in the rain?" I exclaimed.

My voice echoed throughout the empty city. I sighed and shook my head. This is so not good for my health… I felt my forehead and frowned. It felt hot…great, fever…

"Trubbish tru?"

"Osha?"

"I'm okay…I think…" I really don't know…

I think I dozed off after that due to lack of sleep because the next thing I knew, I was waking up to the sensation of being tapped on the head repeatedly and being asked, "Hey, are you okay?"

"Ngah…" was all I managed to say…rather sluggishly. The first thing I noticed immediately was that it was still raining…and I was still on the bench. Great, I fell asleep in the rain. That's definitely not good…who woke me up?

I rubbed my eyes and looked up. "What the…N? What are you doing here—what are you wearing?"

Are my eyes deceiving me? Is N really dressed up as a waiter? Okay, that's it, I'm awake. I rubbed my eyes again and looked at N once more. He really was dressed up as a waiter…and he was missing his Tepig. In his Tepig's place, though, was a green-colored monkey that hung on his shoulders, peering out over one of his shoulders.

"Nap!" it said.

N was dry, unlike me, and that was because he had an umbrella, but that was the least of my concerns. What I wanted to know was why he was wearing a waiter's uniform!

"Why are you wearing that?" I asked.

N blinked and looked at his uniform. "Oh, I'm helping out at the Striaton Gym…I was just checking to see if the market place was open."

"Was it?" I asked.

N sighed and shook his head. "No…it was closed…so, what are you doing there? And why are you dirty?"

"Long story…I rather not talk about it…" I really don't want to talk about it… "Kairi, please don't say anything."

"Osha!" was Kairi's response.

"Thank you, sweetie…" I sighed and started to wring my hair. My hair was weighted down by the rain, so it wasn't all over the place anymore, but water was starting to drip down my face.

"You're going to get sick if you stay out here too long, you know…" N remarked.

I narrowed my eyes at N. "Like I don't know that already…hold on!"

N stepped back a bit. "Huh?"

"N!" I exclaimed. "Do you know where the Pokémon Center is?"

N made a face. "Why do you want to go there?"

"Because I want to get a room to take a shower and change out of these clothes!" I whined. "Please tell me you know where it is…"

"I know where it is…but I'm not telling you where it is," N firmly said.

I was about ready to cry. "Why not?"

"Because N doesn't trust Pokémon Centers," was all N said. N seemed to refer to himself in third-person at times. Huh, it's kinda cute…now is not the time for such thoughts!

"N, this is not the time to deny me the right to…urk…" Ugh, not again…vision blurry, head spinning…

"Are you okay?" N asked.

"Move!" was all I said before I stood up and pushed N away. N stumbled back a few inches, but he didn't fall down. He was shocked for what I just did to him, but I think he understood my reasons when I suddenly threw up on the ground. Eww…it got on my foot!

"Osha!" Kairi used Water Gun on my foot to wash away the…vomit.

I seriously don't think this is what my sister meant I'd lose weight! This is not a healthy way to lose it! I need to get to a Pokémon Center, now…

"N, please…just take me to the damn Center…" I think I'm crying, I can't tell if those are tears or raindrops…

"Trubbish tru?" Trubbish placed its "hand" on my arm.

"No, Trubbish, it wasn't you who made me throw up…I just don't feel good…" Dammit, N, don't let your dislike of the Pokémon Center influence your decisions! "N, help me, dammit!"

"What do I do?" N asked, his voice beginning to show panic.

"Just take me to the damn Center already!" I cried, my vision beginning to blur again. Ugh, my head is pounding! I wasn't able to keep my balance as I fell back and landed on the bench. Everything after that went black and the last things I heard were of N, Kairi, Trubbish, and that green monkey on N's shoulder.

…

…

…

"Guh…"

I felt warm, dry, and I was definitely not in the rain anymore! I opened my eyes, my vision blurry at first until I blinked a few times. My vision cleared and I found myself in a bed…a soft, plush bed… I turned onto my back and found myself staring at the ceiling. Huh, I wonder where I am… Wait, if I'm dry…

I immediately sat up, regretting the action as it caused my head to throb. I clutched my head to ease the throbbing pain. Once the pain waned, I noticed a folded cloth had fallen on my lap. Curiously, I picked it up and noticed it was damp. Huh…what—what the hell?

"Who the hell changed my clothes?" I yelled.

I stared wide-eyed at the shirt I wore. It wasn't my t-shirt…no, it was a buttoned up dress shirt. Whose dress shirt, I don't really know, but whomever it belonged was definitely taller than me. The sleeves were long and the shirt fit me baggy and…uh, what? I pulled on the shirt and peered in. I sighed in relief when I noticed that I had something underneath.

"Hey, you're awake!" someone said. "You had all of us worried, N especially…but I don't think anyone else was as worried as your Pokémon."

I froze, unable to recognize who it was. It was definitely somebody I didn't know. I slowly turned and found a red-haired young man at the side of the bed. His hair reminded me of fire due to its style and he had red eyes burning with energy. He wore a uniform similar to the one I saw N wearing earlier before I blacked out. A Pansear peered over his shoulder, its gaze focused right on me. My first reaction to this was to scream…but I didn't.

Instead, I did the usual thing I did when I was in bed and scared…I pulled the covers over my head.

"Oi, what's wrong?" the young man asked me.

"You…" I replied.

…

…

"Hey, don't make me pull you out of bed!" he threatened. "That's my bed, ya know."

I pulled off the covers over my head and looked at the man. "Please don't—what am I doing in your bed?"

The young man blinked. "Oh, that…? Well, N's taking up the guest room, so rather than let you take the couch, I decided to let you have my bed…I mean, what kind of gentleman would let a delicate little lady sleep on the couch?"

I narrowed my eyes at the young man. "Flattery will get you nowhere, little boy…"

The young man scowled. "Hey, I happen to be nineteen…and not only am I older than you, but I'm also taller than you!"

I crossed my arms. "Well, you're not much older than me…I'm sixteen."

The young man looked shocked. "Are you serious? I thought you were eleven!"

I scowled. "That is five years too much to be even funny, dammit! And I'm a Trainer, which brings up the age limit! Now tell me who the hell you are and where the hell are my clothes?"

"I see you guys are getting along," a voice said coolly.

"Indeed," another voice agreed.

I blinked a few times and turned my attention to the doorway. There stood two young men who wore the same uniform as the redhead. There was something about the two that reminded me of the redhead. They had a resemblance of some sort; however…there were distinct differences between them as well. One of the young men had blue eyes and blue hair that reminded me of water. The other young man had green eyes and green hair that reminded me of grass. Both had monkey Pokémon that matched their coloration.

After one discussion with the three young men, I found out who they were. The redhead was Pod, the green-haired one was Dento, and the blue-haired one was Corn. I also found out about their monkey Pokémon. Pod's Pansear was named Akemi, Dento's Pansage was named Harumi, and Corn's Panpour was named Rumi. I'm assuming their Elemental Monkeys are all female…their names are rather feminine.

Anyways, what had happened was that I had overexerted myself, just as I had assumed. I had also found out that I had also contracted a cold, but I was much better, now. I have yet to receive an answer about my clothes, though.

"Can anyone tell me where my backpack is?" I asked. "I have very important things in there, such as medicine, clothing especially, and…my Pokémon! Where are they?"

"They're down stairs, eating breakfast in the dining hall," Corn answered almost immediately.

I was relieved. "That's good…hold on…you went through my pockets for my Poké balls?"

Dento laughed awkwardly. "Actually, N did that…he figured they would be more comfortable being outside of their balls."

Remind me again…just how are N and I friends? I mean, the guy bruised my wrist, but then again…I looked past that. Whatever, N is still my friend and I like him. He's different from the friends I have. He's a breath of fresh air.

"By the way, where is N?" I asked.

Pod stretched his arms. "He's probably out still gathering groceries…anyways, what would you like for breakfast?"

Huh, breakfast—urk…I covered my mouth as I gagged, feeling somewhat nauseous at the moment. "Ugh…"

I heard Corn sigh. "I'll go make okayu…"

…

…

Ya know, when I was younger, I always wanted to have breakfast in bed. However, when I wanted to have breakfast in bed, I wanted to have it in my own bed, not in Pod's bed! I huffed as I stared at my bowl of okayu that had been served on a tray, courtesy of Corn. I picked up my spoon and started to stir the rice porridge. I didn't feel hungry, just…blegh…

"I don't feel hungry…" I just said.

"Well, you have been asleep for a full day," Dento remarked.

I stared at Dento. "What time is it?"

"It's 08:30," Corn answered. "That's around the same time N brought you here yesterday…"

Pod crossed his arms and nodded. "Yeah…by the way, what were you doing sleeping out in the rain?"

I narrowed my eyes at Pod. "Look, I've had a bad day yesterday. I didn't mean to fall asleep in the rain, but it happened. I had a case of insomnia and was a bit sleep-deprived. It didn't help that I overexerted myself, either."

"Why did you even overexerted yourself in the first place?" Pod asked.

"Because I was being chased by a Pokémon, okay?" I snapped. "Look, I'm trying to eat, here…could you guys at least leave me alone for the moment? And you could also bring me my backpack and a glass of water?"

"What for?" Dento asked.

I growled. "Just do it!"

…

…

Eating was a bit difficult, especially since the guys refused to leave my side. I guess they were worried I wouldn't eat. The first bite was the most difficult to swallow, but I managed afterwards. It was after that that I realized just how hungry I was. Once I was done, Corn took my bowl and tray and then left the room.

A few minutes later, he came back with my backpack and a glass of water. The first thing I did was search my backpack and pull out my medicine. I unscrewed the cap off the bottle and took out a small, oblong-shaped tablet out. I popped the tablet into my mouth and downed it down with water.

Okay, I'm good for the rest of the day. Don't have to worry about forgetting my meds, now! I put away my medicine afterwards and zipped up my backpack. It was at that moment that I noticed the guys were staring at me.

I blinked. "Uh, I have ADHD and medicine for it…could you not stare?"

Corn was the first to react by turning away. "Ahem…"

Dento just laughed awkwardly and Pod just rubbed the back of his head…

"Okay, any reason why I see a resemblance between the three of you?" I asked.

Dento answered my question. "We're triplets."

"I'm the oldest," Corn remarked. "And Pod is the youngest…"

I turned to Pod and arched my brow. "I could tell…"

Pod scowled at me. "Hey!"

I waved my hand at him. "Don't bother…if it helps, I'm the youngest in my family…but really, triplets? That's a step up from twins…"

Dento arched his brow. "You know a pair of twins?"

"Yeah, their names are Touko and Touya…" I mentally grimaced as I realized Touya is probably pissed off at me. I've been gone for a full day, now…and he has no means of communicating with me. Ugh, I am so going to be hearing from him…

"So, why were you being chased by a Pokémon?" Pod suddenly asked.

"Alongside that, what were you doing out in such a storm in the first place?" Dento added.

I sighed and decided I couldn't avoid this any longer. "You know that storm? That Pokémon caused it…"

"Explain…" Corn's expression was serious.

"That Pokémon who was chasing after me…was Tornadus—"

"TORNADUS?" the three brothers exclaimed.

I tightened my fists. "Yes, him!"

Dento looked concerned. "What was he doing chasing after you?"

"That bastard just wouldn't leave me alone!" I whined. "I thought he was Thundurus—just don't ask about Thundurus! Anyways, so I unintentionally insulted Tornadus—my insult was aimed at Thundurus—and, by some chance, he found me amusing."

"That doesn't explain why he was chasing you," Pod said, looking rather perplexed.

I turned away from the three brothers to avoid any eye contact. "Look, it's just…let me put it this way. He's male…and I'm female…you do the math."

"Oh, dear, Arceus…" Dento was the first to figure it out, with Corn catching on afterwards.

"I don't get it…" Pod was still clueless.

"Well, you're out of luck…I ain't going any further than that," I said firmly. "Let me just tell you that I really hate that guy…and I am extremely lucky that he wasn't using his powers at their highest level…otherwise, I wouldn't be here…"

"Is there anything we can do for you?" Corn asked politely.

I focused my attention back on the guys. "Yes…can you guys leave? I want to change into my clothes…"

The fact that I'm not wearing any pants unnerves me.

…

…

I walked out of the room after putting on a pair of pants. I decided to keep the shirt because I was too lazy to undo all those buttons. I also brushed my hair…and it was an extremely painful task due to my hair being all tangled, but I managed in the end. I was back to wearing my baseball cap again.

The first thing I noticed after getting out of bed was that my legs were _sore_… Ow…it hurt to walk, but since complaining would do me no good, I just sucked it up and kept walking. Another thing I noticed was that I had no idea where I was. I was still in Striaton City, of course, but where?

Going down the stairs was a challenge by itself for me! The only positive aspect that came from reaching the bottom of the stairs was that I was immediately tackled to the floor by my Pokémon. Ivy was practically crying from relief and had her vines wrapped around me. She had no intention of letting me go until Kairi said something to her. Natsuki showed her immediate attachment to me by nuzzling her face against my own. I had no idea where Trubbish was, though…and I was worried about that.

"My, isn't this a unique combination…"

I turned to see that it was Dento. "Uh…"

Dento seemed to making an analysis of some sort. "A lovely matchup for someone with such personality…you and your Pokémon make a truly compatible team."

I blinked a few times. "What?"

Dento laughed. "Oh, I forgot to tell you…I'm a Pokémon Sommelier. A Pokémon Sommelier is a Pokémon Trainer who specializes in identifying the compatibility between Pokémon and their Trainers."

Ah, that explains a lot…wait! He complimented me and my Pokémon! "Thank you!"

Dento crossed his arms. "I'm not sure about your Trubbish, though…"

"Oh, he's not my Pokémon…he's a wild Trubbish…" That I have plans on catching if Touya doesn't appreciate him… "By the way, where is Trubbish?"

"Your Trubbish is with N…" Dento replied.

I nodded. "Okay, that answers everything—actually, hold on! Where are we?"

Dento blinked. "Oh, you don't know? We're in the Striaton Gym…"

"The Gym is your home?" At least this saves me the effort of searching for the Gym, but wow…

Dento nodded. "It's also a café."

"That…explains the uniform…" And now that I recall, N said he was helping out at the Gym…so he was helping out the triplets with their café! That makes much more sense, now! "By the way…I wanna know…who changed me out of my wet clothes?"

"If you're worried, don't be!" Dento reassured me. "We called up Chiharu, one of our female employees, to help us out with that…"

I feel a great deal of relief, now… "Oh…wait, if you have employees…why do you need N helping out?"

"The café is understaffed…we need all the help we could get," Dento explained. "By the way, if you don't mind me asking, are you taking the Pokémon League challenge?"

I made a face. "Unfortunately…"

"What's with the face?" Dento asked. "You look better when you smile…"

"Thanks…?" I guess I'll take that as a compliment. "Look, I had a rough start as a Trainer…I got kicked out of my own house as an initiative with nothing but the backpack on my back and the Oshawott I have in my possession. Snivy was a Pokémon I won off my friend as part of a deal to keep me going on this journey and as for Pansear…I just met her sometime before I encountered Tornadus."

"What about Trubbish?" Dento asked.

"Found him in an alley I hid," I replied. "So…are you taking any challenges right now?"

Dento blinked and grinned. "Actually, not at this moment…but we'll still take up your offer when the time comes. Tell me, who would you wish to battle?"

"Wait…I get to choose who I battle?" That is something I have never heard about from my siblings when they told me of their experiences with Gyms. "Wait…who's the Gym Leader?"

Dento chuckled. "You haven't figured it out? Corn, Pod, and I are the Striaton City Gym Leaders!"

"Three Gym Leaders…you mean I don't get to battle all three of you?" I mean, my sister told me about the current Mossdeep City Gym Leaders, who are twins like Touya and Touko. Though, Pod, Dento, and Corn are triplets, so that might explain it…but still! There are such things as triple battles…

"Not unless you want to," Dento replied. "But do you really want to pass up such an easy win?"

It sounds very tempting… "Thanks, but no…I need the challenge…"

I need the experience and…truth be told, everything my siblings have been telling me my whole life is starting to get to me. If I don't get out of my comfort zone, I won't ever make it far as a Trainer. Never turn down experience is what they always told me…

"…Very well…" Dento said after some thought. "This is definitely a first…"

I sighed. "I'm probably going to regret this later…so, when do I battle you guys?"

Dento placed his hand on his chin. "Hmm…I would say sometime after the Summer Festival would work best…"

Summer Festival…what? "And when would that be?"

Dento smiled widely. "In five days or so…N was our last challenger for the week…if you had been here any earlier; you could have done it then."

Damn it…wait, N challenged the Striaton Gym? "Who did he battle and did he win?"

"He battled me and…he didn't win," Dento replied. "His rematch will be before your battle…he was here, first."

Makes sense, but…I have to wait! "Well, as long as I get a badge after all of this…I'm good."

"That's the spirit!" Dento said cheerfully. "And truth be told, it's all up to N if he wants to go before or after you. Anyways, would you like a tour of this place?"

"Yes, please…" I would rather avoid getting lost, here…

…

…

Okay, the Striaton Gym was huge, which made sense as it was a café, Gym, and a house. During the tour of the Striaton Gym, I ran into N, his Tepig, and Trubbish. He was still wearing the uniform and was carrying bags full of groceries.

"Hey, you're awake!" was what he first said to me.

I just smiled. "Yeah…I am…N, why didn't you take me to the Pokémon Center."

N blinked a few times and huffed. "Because N didn't want to leave his friend alone…"

"Wait, we're friends?" I know we're friends and all, but this is the first time he's officially said that. In fact, I think this friendship might have been slightly one-sided until he confirmed it to be mutual.

N nodded his head as he handed Dento the groceries. "Why wouldn't we be? I like you!"

And with that, N hugged me. My body froze and my eyes widened as I found myself unable to speak… It was at this moment that I realized just how tall N was! And then Dento made a remark…

"I didn't know you two were that close…" I could hear the sheer amusement in Dento's tone.

Fuck my life…

…

…

* * *

><p>AN End of chapter. Date of update: 7-13-12 (hey, Friday the 13th! :D)

And so we arrive to the first Gym…and NO! N doesn't like OC in that way. That'd be too unrealistic as the two barely know each other…plus, I'm one of those people who look for chemistry in pairings. And I'm too much of a diehard Ferriswheelshipper (shipper who ships NxTouko/White/Hilda) to ship N with anyone BUT Touko… However, I already have my FerrisWheelShipping fic and that is _Our Last Pact_. Still in development, but hey, at least I'm cleaning it up and finally sucking up and changing names…

Yeah, and as you can see, there is more of _Our Last Pact_ incorporated into this fic as well as some aspects of the anime! The anime part is where Dento (Cilan) is a Pokemon Sommelier and I'm using the term Sommelier (which is used in the Japanese version) instead of Connoisseur because of preference...

Anyways, let's move onto _Our Last Pact_ incorporation...For one thing, I'm making N take the Pokémon League Challenge as well, because that's what I did in _Our Last Pact_. I also brought back Akemi the Pansear, Harumi the Pansage, and Rumi the Panpour…I also kept Chiharu, the waitress you know as Waitress Tia in game…I'm using her Japanese name. Chiharu had been the Trainer caring for Natsuki the Pansear before he met with Touko in _Our Last Pact_…it is the same here, only difference…Natsuki is with OC.

And there's the Summer Festival that I also brought in! I mean, I didn't use the Firework Festival part, which was where Team Plasma was first introduced, but that was only because I wanted to go through the game route that time. This is where AU is taking place once more...also, I'm

Anyways, more on N's behavior…Think about it…N is very innocent and to me, he reminds me of a child. Children tend to be very open with their emotions. That's how N is, which is why he hugs OC. Plus, I could see him hugging anyone he likes, so OC won't be the only person he'll hug.

Also, while N has never done so at all in games or anywhere else, for some reason…I could see N speaking in third-person when he wants to make his point. While you may not take him seriously, he is actually serious when he speaks in third-person. It's a bit of that innocence that makes him actually scary…as Anthea and Concordia (one or the other) would put it.

You may have noticed there is no Cilan, Chili, or Cress…that is because I am using their Japanese names! I've been knowing by Pod, Dento, and Corn all this entire time and I'll be damned if I change it now! Plus, I already have plans for those English names…

Also, you might want to know this, but N has had his height officially revealed. He's 1.80 m tall (5'11")…he's almost 6'0"! So yeah, he pretty much towers over the Nuvema Town Quintet (Bel, Touya, Touko, OC, and Cheren)…oh, and I already made it official that I'm keeping N three years older than the group in _Our Last Pact_ and I keeping it the same, here! He's about the same age as the Striaton City Gym Leaders, which makes him nineteen…or around there.

Oh, and I have always seen Pod (Chili) being the youngest and Corn (Cress) being the oldest out of the triplets…and Dento (Cilan) stands in as being the middle child. It fits, in my opinion…

Well, that's it for this chapter and it seems that OC met both green-haired young men…but I was speaking who she would meet first and that was N! Also, there be fanservice for those N fangirls (and fanboys, if any) since he's wearing a uniform similar to the Striaton City Gym Leaders…

Reviews are love, but NO FLAMES! DX Wait patiently for the next chapter, KD out! XD


	11. From Trainer to Waitress

A full day had passed since I woke up at the Striaton City Gym. During that full day, I got very well acquainted with Waitress Chiharu, the lady who changed me out of my wet clothes. I also found out that she and Natsuki had known each other for a while. It turned out, Natsuki had been abandoned by her Trainer, but she still had her Poké ball. From what Chiharu told me, Natsuki had to trust me very well to even let me touch her Poké ball, let alone become her Trainer.

It was nice to see that I was trusted by Natsuki, but I was sad to know that Natsuki made two in the number of abandoned Pokémon I had in my care. I also found out that N had Touko's Lillipup in his care. Apparently, Kuri had wandered off from Touko and found N…I hope Touko isn't worrying too badly about her Lillipup.

Also, from what I just learned, Kuri was a Shiny Lillipup. Shiny Pokémon are differently colored Pokémon that are very rare. The reason they are referred to as Shiny is because Shiny Pokemon lack certain natural pigments in their coloring and the way light reflects off of them gives them a sparkling look. Aside from that, there's nothing special about Shiny Pokémon. They're just like any other Pokémon, save for their different coloration. (1)

However, some people will do anything for Shiny Pokémon, much to N's disgust as he had been the one to explain the issue with Shiny Pokémon. N didn't like the fact that Pokémon were sold to people solely based off their coloration.

The business of selling Shiny Pokémon isn't that bad, it's just the illegal businesses that have to be watched out for due to their negligent care of Shiny Pokémon and their ways of obtaining such Pokémon through means of stealing. The world isn't that wonderful when you think about it that way, but there's no such thing as perfection. Perfection in its desired form is flawed…it doesn't exist.

So what I was currently doing right now was eating frozen grapes I just got out of the freezer… N had been nice enough to buy me some grapes yesterday. He also got my Pokémon a few treats and he was really close to Trubbish. The fact that he was aware of Trubbish still being Poké ball free made him very happy.

Anyways, I was watching Chiharu help Misato carry a tray full of dishes into the kitchen as I continued to eat my frozen grapes. Ivy, Kairi, and Natsuki were also with me, eating frozen grapes…well, actually, Kairi was the only one eating frozen grapes with me. Ivy tried one and immediately spat it out. It was too cold for her liking, but I could understand as she was a grass-type Pokémon. Natsuki didn't like uncooked fruit in general, a trait she shared with Akemi and most Pansear.

Kairi was okay with the frozen grapes, in fact, she loved them. She loved them so much, that she nearly ate all of them, leaving me with nothing but a few frozen grapes left. I was not amused as I had nothing else to do, now, so I was bored. Unfortunately, N noticed my boredom and dragged me to the triplets via wrist grab.

I didn't get a bruise this time, but after being taken to the triplets, I would have preferred the bruised wrist than this.

…

…

I had to be forcefully dragged out of one of the female employee dressing rooms by Chiharu. I was not pleased…

The triplets had offered me a part-time job here at the café and, me being bored and finding it a good way to make money, took up that offer. I immediately regretted doing so after I realized that this café had a dress code…and since I was female, that made me a waitress and thus required me dress the part.

I was actually surprised to see that I was able to fit in a dress size smaller than my usual dress size. Though, my height might have played a bit of a role in why I was able to fit in a smaller dress size, still…I wish it hadn't. If I had not fit in the dress, I would have been given a waiter's uniform, which was what I really wanted. However, luck was not with me and I was stuck with the dress.

I hated the frills, I hated the headpiece, I hated the skirt, I liked the color, which was a nice shade of orange, but I hated wearing this dress in general. I also hated the fact that I became Chiharu and Misato's temporary doll right after changing. There was no makeup involved, thankfully, but my hair was messed with.

The only good aspect I got out of this was that my hair was straightened and I was finally given hair ties! However, they chose my hairstyle and it took me until they were braiding my hair to realize…my hair wasn't short anymore. (2)

"Oh, I've been meaning to ask…what happened to your forehead?" Chiharu asked me as she placed a hand on the bandages wrapped around my forehead.

I blinked a few times and just barely remembered about the thrashing I gave my forehead a few days ago. I felt my eye twitched as I remembered the contraceptive inside Touya's bag…

"I rather not talk about it…" I really don't want to talk about it.

"Want me to change your bandages?" Misato asked.

I sighed. "Sure…"

…

…

I felt extremely awkward when I walked up to Pod, Dento, and Corn. I was just not used to wearing a dress. My situation was made worse when I was put at the register. Not only did I have to put my math skills to use, but I also had to socialize with customers at the entrance.

Needless to say, it was obvious that I had little to no socializing skills. N was sent to help me out with the socializing part, but he was just as bad as I was. At first, he was okay, but then he discovered that the customers had been staring at him the entire time he had spoken with them, even after they had been seated by Corn. For that reason, I let N use me as a hiding spot every time a customer started staring at him. Even if it did nothing but earn him more stares since he was tall and I was short, so I wasn't that good of a hiding spot.

Fun fact: excluding Gym challengers, all of the café's customers are female and the triplets are the reason for it…and as of recent news from Pod, N was becoming another reason for the increase of female customers. When N found out, he was even more nervous and I feel bad for saying this, but I actually found a nervous N to be adorable… Ugh, I feel like some sadist or something for finding someone's discomfort adorable.

After an hour, N busied himself by messing around with his Menger sponge. It helped him ignore the stares of the girls, so I let him be…plus, it was interesting to watch him use it. It was around this time that my reason for being put at the register was put to use when I was being asked for the bill. N told the triplets I was good at math and the usual girl at the register, Tia, had called in sick today.

I was good at math, but I had a flaw: I was prone to making big mistakes if I made even the smallest of miscalculations. Fortunately, N caught one of my miscalculations before I even noticed and even started helping me out. It was through one of my miscalculations that brought N out of his shell. It was also through this that I found out that N was extremely smarter than he appeared. I never expected to ever bond with a friend over math…but it happened.

"Excuse, but is this the Striaton City Gym?" Then Cheren showed up and that nightmare popped up in mind.

I stared at Cheren wide-eyed, unable to find my voice. He just stared at me, not knowing who I was until he took a closer look.

"What the hell…why are you wearing a waitress uniform?" was what he asked me.

"Ah, I work here…" I replied. "By the way, yes, this is the Gym, Cheren…unfortunately, you have to wait until after the Summer Festival for a challenge. Have fun trying to kill time for the next four days or so!"

Cheren just continued to stare. "Wah…"

"Hey, I remember you!" N suddenly said. "You're that glasses-wearing boy who said I talk fast!"

"You still talk fast…just not as fast anymore," Cheren said as he adjusted his glasses. "You've improved."

I stared at Cheren and N. "Wait…do you guys know each other?"

N shook his head. "Nope…"

Cheren did the same. "I just know his name…how did you two meet?"

"He paid for my breakfast back at Accumula Town!" I chirped. "I bumped into him right after that weird Team Plasma speech…I battled him right afterwards—that reminds me. N…what happened to your Purrloin?"

N blinked. "Huh? Oh, I gave him away."

I arched my brow. "To who?"

"A little girl named Sachiko," N replied. "N decided that Sachiko deserved Yoshi…That's what she named Purrloin…"

"So what is your current team?" All I have seen is his Tepig.

N pointed at his Tepig, who had been under the counter eating lunch with Kairi. He was still at one Pokémon, thanks to him giving a little girl his Purrloin.

"That's not much…" Cheren said bluntly. "But I suppose it's decent…"

"So…are you going to leave or what?" Cheren really doesn't have a reason to be here. "We're on shift and you're kinda bugging us…"

Cheren adjusted his glasses and smirked. "No…"

"Then what do you want?" I snapped as I slammed my hand on the counter.

N stepped away from me. "Uh…people are staring?"

"Whatever!" was my response. "Cheren, give me an answer, dammit!"

"I want to work here…" Cheren simply said.

"Consider it done."

I blinked and turned around. "Dento, how long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough…welcome to the Striaton Café, Cheren!" Dento said cheerily, holding his hand out to Cheren.

Cheren took Dento's hand and they both shook hands. I looked at Cheren, who just smirked at me. Great, now Cheren was one of my workmates…fuck my life! I slammed my forehead onto the counter.

It just only came to me that that was the worst thing I could ever do as I felt my forehead begin to throb. "Oww…"

Fucking head injury…

"It's okay, I don't like him, either," N said as he patted my shoulder reassuringly.

I never really said I disliked Cheren, but at this point, I might as well. He ended up taking my spot at the register. I was assigned to wait tables…and it didn't occur to me fully that N had just said he didn't like Cheren until half an hour later into my new shift.

Cheren and N were actually having an argument over the register. Cheren was being anal about his calculations being correct and N was saying otherwise. I just watched them argue as I served a few Lasses their sandwiches and drinks. I couldn't look away…I just…it's just…I just wasn't aware that N was capable of arguing with someone. Though, the fact that it was Cheren who N was arguing with was quite understandable…Cheren has always been a bit moody.

Cheren and N's argument ended up attracting more customers. The reason for it, I wasn't quite sure of it, but I think it had to do with the fact that their argument was rather amusing…plus, I've been hearing these girls talk and they seemed to be quite smitten with Cheren and N. I even got asked a few questions about the two since they've seen me talking with them.

Needless to say, I wasn't amused after that.

…

…

It took me nearly ten minutes to break up Cheren and N's argument. It turned out that Cheren wasn't aware that N also included the tip in his calculations. After that, Cheren and N refused to talk to each other. Gah, those two…just…they're unbelievable…

I just sighed and shook my head as I made my way to table five. Not even an hour into waiting tables and I already got the tray-balancing thing down. I had to…there were a lot of customers and not enough waiters and waitresses to make things easier. I could see why the triplets needed all the help they could get.

"Sorry for the wait, but here's your parfait," I said as I placed the parfait on the table. "Is there anything else you would—Touko?"

I wasn't aware that Touko had entered the café until now. How the hell did I miss that? Touko wasn't even aware of who I was, which prompted the question, "Hey, how did you know my—hey, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I work here…Cheren's at the register, ya know…" I think she already knew that.

"I've noticed…N's here, too," she added.

I stared at Touko. "You know him?"

"Yeah…I met him in Accumula Town—what about you?"

"He paid for my breakfast in that very same town," I replied. "He's a nice guy…maybe a bit awkward when it comes to socializing, but still a nice guy."

Touko crossed her arms. "He is…but what's he doing here? And why is Cheren working here?"

"For Cheren's case, same thing as me…" I replied. "Trying to kill some time and earn some money in the process…the café's understaffed, ya know… We need all the help we can and N was asked by the Gym Leaders personally for help."

Touko blinked a few times. "Why do you need to kill time—and Gym Leaders?"

I laughed. "You weren't aware that this place is also the Striaton City Gym, right?"

"WHAT?!" Touko exclaimed. "No way!"

"Yeah way," was my response. "And the reason for killing time is because there's gonna be a summer festival. Everyone's preparing for it and because of it, N, Cheren, and I have to wait until that's over before we can challenge the Gym…"

Touko crossed her arms and thought for a moment. "Well…in that case, can I work here?"

"Consider it done," I heard Dento say as he walked by.

I turned to Dento and narrowed my eyes at him. "Where the hell do you keep coming from? Why are you always so close when someone asks to work here?"

"You bring in a lot of interesting people," Dento replied. "Besides, this girl…her name is Touko, right?"

"Who are you and how do you know my name?" Touko asked as she eyed Dento curiously.

"My name is Dento and I'm one of three Gym Leaders," Dento said as he bowed.

Show off… "Oh, he's also a triplet and a Pokémon Sommelier—oh, and we have Kuri!"

Touko immediately stood up in her seat. "Where is she?! Iris and I have been looking for her all everywhere!"

I blinked. "Iris?"

"Oh, you don't remember her?" Touko asked. "She used to come over during the summer to play with us?"

"Still not ringing a bell…" But the name is rather familiar…

Touko crossed her arms. "She's got huge, purple hair and her Drilbur drilled into my bike…"

A Drilbur…drilling into Touko's bike…oh, that's gotta be Masa! Ah, I remember!

"Masa and Iris!" I exclaimed. "How are they doing?"

Touko tilted her head to the side and sighed. "Iris is having some difficulties with Masa, but she's got an Axew and she gets along very well with him."

"How long have you two been together?" I want to know…

"Sometime after Accumula Town…she's the reason why Kuri escaped in the first place…" Touko said as a bead of sweat rolled down the side of her face.

"Ah, she didn't like the leash, did she?" Kuri needed a leash like I needed a child harness when I was younger. She's a little too energetic for her own good. "Wait…don't you have a tracking device on her?"

Touko blinked a few times and smacked her forehead with her hand. "Of course…duh…"

"Don't worry, I'd probably do the same…" Assuming I ever had a Pokémon like Kuri. For the most part, my Pokémon are rather clingy when it comes to me. I feel loved…yay!

"So, would you like to start working immediately?" Oh, crap…I think we forgot about Dento. Wow…

…

…

Touko pulled off the waitress uniform good. It's gotta be that hair of hers, it's gotta! We had been waiting tables for the past hour or so when Iris finally showed up. Her hair was still massive and believe it or not, she kept her Axew there. That is some hair…but I wonder how she manages it all. I can barely manage my own and it's very short in comparison to Iris's hair.

Anyways, it didn't take long before Iris joined Touko and me in our job at waiting tables. However, what irked me the most was that Iris got to wear a waiter's uniform.

I blame Pod for this…right after Touko got into her uniform, Pod thought it was a good idea to do laundry. Iris was wearing Dento's uniform since Dento always kept a spare uniform in case of situations like this one.

I miss wearing pants…

…

…

Today marked the start of yet another day. Yesterday was rather interesting as N refused to let Touko go back to the Pokémon Center. I offered to share Pod's room and since Iris didn't want to go back alone, I ended up rooming with three girls that night…it was interesting. I mean, I finally caught up with Iris. It's been like…almost five years since we last talked. Oh, and Cheren and N are now sharing a room. Cheren decided to stay here at the Striaton Gym since he had nothing else to do at the Pokémon Center.

Needless to say, Cheren and N had some differences. When Mizuko the Panpour was introduced to us, that's when everything changed. At first, N accused Cheren of abusing Mizuko because Mizuko was covered in numerous scars and bandages. Some scars were new and others were old.

But then Cheren explained that was how he found Mizuko…sans the bandages. It turned out that Mizuko had been abandoned, which Cheren had figured out by the shattered Poké ball he found by the Panpour. He also figured that Mizuko had been abused by her previous Trainer.

The abandonment of Pokémon was nothing in comparison to Pokémon abuse. I mean, Mizuko was traumatized. She was hiding behind Cheren's leg the whole entire time she had been out of her Poké ball. Cheren explained that it took him a few days to earn Mizuko's trust, so Mizuko had some trust issues. She was also still hurting from being abandoned.

There was something that struck me odd when I noticed just how distraught N was to see Mizuko. Something just told me…Mizuko wasn't the first Pokémon he had seen in such a state. Just thinking about that just made me wondered if that was why N wanted Pokémon and humans separated.

Right after N saw Mizuko, he stopped showing his dislike towards Cheren. The two actually made up, but that was it. It was more tolerance than anything else. N was more friendly to Mizuko than Cheren and Cheren was rather stunned with how his Pokémon liked N more than him. It was rather depressing, but it was due to this that Cheren finally decided to open up some more with his Pokémon.

Mizuko wasn't his only Pokémon. Aside from Daichi the Snivy, Cheren also had a Shiny Pokémon, like Touko. Only his was a Purrloin and it was male…his name was Kuro. It's not that much of a good name for a regular Purrloin, but for a Shiny Purrloin, it was rather decent. Kuro's fur looked sort of black, so the name fit. (3)

Anyways, today was a rather busy day. Apparently, with Touko and Iris, the café has started receiving some male customers. According to what I have been told by the triplets, the reason for the lack of male customers in this café was due to the maid café down a few blocks from this café. And yet, somehow, Touko and Iris had managed to attract some customers…well, actually, the male customers wanted to challenge the Gym, but couldn't. They decided to stay in the café right after they saw Touko.

It was because of that that prompted N to be rather stern with the male customers. He took Touko's place and served the male customers instead of her. I sense some jealousy…but then I noticed he was like that to me, too. I really don't get why he did that…until one of the guys grabbed my wrist and asked me questions about Touko.

When I refused to say anything, I ended up getting a different comment. The guy managed to get a better look at me and actually called me, "cute". It…just…I have no comment…except for the fact that what is it with people grabbing my right wrist? Gah, my bruise is never going to—

"Hello, N…what are you doing here?" I asked N as he walked up to us.

N looked sternly at the guy who was grabbing my wrist and forcefully pulled his hand off my wrist. N pushed me away from the guy afterwards and had some serious words with the guy. Cheren helped him out and for once, the two managed to get along. I just stared at them and sighed before going back to work. (4)

…

…

* * *

><p>AN End of chapter…

Hey guys! :D Been a while, I know…guess what I just found out? I'm starting school on the 15th of August…that's a Wednesday, people! Wanna know why I'm making a big deal out of this? This is the first time I have EVER started on a Wednesday…ever…and by the way, that day marks the start of my senior year.

OC: "Aww, our little KD's growing up…"

Yeah, I am getting a life…well, that's enough about that! Guess who got a three on her AP US History Test? I DID! :D

OC: "That's one up from last year's…"

It is! I passed it this year! And best of all, I'm done with history altogether! I'm also done with science, but that doesn't matter since Physics was optional for me as I only needed two years of science…but I went for the third year and Physics was rather awesome. :D

So after eight chapters since his last appearance, half of which he was at least mentioned and ended up playing a key role in scarring OC, Cheren has finally made his physical appearance. Yeah, he's back! :D Ah, I like Cheren, despite what I have done to him in this story. It's just…I don't know! XD Oh, and Touko's back as well, but Bel and Touya are still not here…yet.

Iris, on the other hand, has finally made her appearance, which I shall explain in a note… Let's get on with the notes!

(1) Credit for that explanation goes to **ChibiFoxAI**! She had a better explanation than I did and that was Shiny being another way of representing Albinism in Pokémon, however…**Chibi's** explanation was more detailed and I liked it! So, once again, credit goes to her!

(2) I'll tell you this…OC's hair is shorter than Touko's hair, but definitely much longer than Touya, Bel, and Cheren's hair.

(3) And here is more of _Our Last Pact_ being incorporated into this story! Cheren's current team is the team he currently had in _Our Last Pact_ before I took down the existing chapters to clean up the story. It's still his team and yes, this is how Cheren got his Panpour.

If you picked Oshawott, Cheren's Elemental Monkey will be a Panpour and, no matter what, he will always have a Purrloin…I just made his a Shiny due to a small little funny moment that **ChibiFoxAI **told me during one of our PM sessions.

Also, as you've noticed, Iris is with Touko and that's how it was in _Our Last Pact_…here's where a bit of the anime is put into play. The reason for adding Iris is because she's my favorite girl…have you seen what she has done in…oh! No, I ain't spoiling it…you have to look at her bulbapedia page yourself, but beware of spoilers for BW2.

Also, another gag from _Our Last Pact_ is in this fic and that is Iris being recognized as the girl whose Drilbur drilled into Touko's bicycle… Iris's Drilbur is now an Excadrill and his name is Masa…oh, and her Axew is named Ryuu. Oh, and before I forget, Sachiko was probably an OC of mine...she was a kindergartener (I refuse to use the English localization of Preschooler for this Trainer class) that N had encountered when he was going to release his Purrloin.

Sachiko has earned a lot of comments for being cute and I'm sad to say that I have yet to put up her chapter...DX SORRY! But it'll be up eventually! So yeah, Sachiko now owns N's Purrloin and she named him Yoshi. Sachiko was meant to show N that there was at least hope for the younger generation when it came to Pokemon, but that was it.

(4) Because even OC deserves her time to be considered cute. Huzzah! Yeah, OC is a chubby girl, but here's the thing about her. She is anything but ugly. She cleans up nicely, if you get what I mean. For OC, her hair that plays a key factor in her charm. Another would be her personality, but that's a different factor as it mostly depends on OC's familiarity with anyone. Yeah, so since Touya has already shown his charm, I thought it would be nice to give OC a chance…

Plus, we get to see both N AND Cheren in a waiter uniform! :D *fangirl squeal*

OC: "KD just loves putting her favorite guys in fanservice uniforms…"

Damn straight I do. So this was chapter eleven and damn! Forty-seven reviews for this story…wow, that's more than _Our Last Pact_ and prior to this story's creation and a little after, _Our Last Pact_ held the most reviews out of all my Pokémon stories. I'm just happy to know that people are actually reading this story! ^^

I'm also happy to know that everyone likes OC! :D That is great because she is my first Pokémon OC and I was really worried about her, but so far, she has proven to be a success. On another note, I have started a _Pokémon Conquest_ fic and—*dodges bricks* I know! I have other stories to worry about, but this is Pokémon Conquest…

It's the most interesting game I have ever played and it even knocked off _Mystery Dungeon_ off my list of favorite spin-offs! Plus, I learned a lot from doing research just for my _Pokémon Conquest_ fic. The story is called _Victory_ and I'm using the female hero, because I can…

I'll tell you this: expect a reverse-harem (male harem) in _Victory_. If you ever play as the female hero in _Pokémon Conquest_, you are _guaranteed_ a reverse-harem and that's due to the lack of female Warriors and Warlords. The majority are male and thanks to Koei, most male Warriors and Warlords have bishounen good looks…and special mention goes to Ranmaru! Let me just say…Dude looks like a lady…a _very_ pretty lady.

Just to let you know, Koei had no part for the lacking amount of female Warriors and Warlords…that would be history because, in case you didn't know, aside from the player characters, all characters in _Pokémon Conquest_ are based off real people in Japanese history during the Sengoku era. If you don't believe me, look up the names ANY Warlord in Pokémon Conquest, especially Oda Nobunaga. And in post game, some of the special episodes are based off real events…I'll give you an example of one: Mitsuhide's special episode had to do with him betraying Nobunaga…in history, Mitsuhide DID betray Nobunaga.

Well, that's enough about that. Reviews are love~! But NO FLAMES…:C I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I definitely liked typing it out! Wait patiently for the next chapter, so until next time, KD out! XD


	12. Waitress VS Waiter

"By the way, what happened to your forehead?" Iris asked me as she placed down the tray she carried onto a table.

I blinked a few times and sighed. "I don't want to talk about it."

It's an answer that I have found myself saying quite a lot. The triplets asked me, Touko asked me, Cheren and N asked me, and now Iris… I wonder why it took them this long to notice the bandages on my forehead… (1)

…

After an hour or so, I was still waiting tables when it suddenly came to me. I turned to Cheren, who now at the register with N since the other guys had left the café, and pointed at him.

"Cheren, we never had our battle!" I exclaimed. "I challenge you!"

Cheren just stared at me and adjusted his glasses. "Very well…"

Pod, Dento, and Corn were rather intrigued with my sudden exclamation, but at the mere mention of a battle, the triplets immediately ushered us onto a battlefield. It was the Gym's battlefield. It was cool and all, since Cheren and I got ourselves a battlefield for our battle. However, I could have done without the female customers dressed in cheerleader outfits—

"Where the hell did they get those outfits?!" I exclaimed.

I received no answer and I just let it be. I deemed it at something I didn't want to know…or rather, something I didn't care to know. Whatever worked, I don't care.

Dento was rather nice to be our referee. He told us the rules and the usual applied. It was a two-on-two battle, despite the fact Cheren and I had both three Pokémon. The reason because of this was because of Mizuko. Cheren felt she wasn't ready for battling yet and I couldn't help, but agree. Poor Mizuko…she was traumatized.

Cheren and I stood on opposite sides of the battlefield. There was a distance between us and a lot of cheering cheerleaders above us. I resisted the urge to yell at them. It would not be good for business…hey! I was making money and the pay was actually good!

I sent out Kairi, first. It's been a while since I last used her for battle…okay, I might have used her against Tornadus, but that was a different situation! That was more survival than battling!

"So who are you sending out?" I asked Cheren. "Will it be Kuro…or Daichi?"

Cheren, being himself, sent out Daichi. I smirked as I expected him to send out his Snivy. Grass was super effective against water, but like I was going to let that get to me. He wasn't aware of Kairi's parentage as well as her moves that she had gained through breeding. He was in for quite a surprise…

"Kairi, use Night Slash!" I exclaimed.

Kairi removed her shell off her chest and held it out as it began to glow red. "Osha!"

Cheren stared at Kairi and smirked. "Why am I not surprised by this?"

"Because my family consists of Trainers who pretty much have given me unwanted pressure due to their accomplishments?" Sometimes I hate being the youngest…

"Hmm…that could be it, but Touya and Touko have their mother," Cheren remarked. "And she was a Trainer before Unova changed the age limit for the very first time. Remember how Aqua came into possession?"

Unova used to share its age limit with the other regions at ten years old. Monta became a Trainer around the time that limit was still in effect. She was around thirteen or fourteen when the limit was raised to twelve due to an extremely unfortunate incident that resulted in the death of a few new Trainers...within a _month_. I forget when exactly the age limit was raised to fourteen, but all I know is that Monta has done a lot during her time as a ten year-old Trainer in Unova.

When she was a Trainer, the Driftveil Drawbridge was still a work in progress. This is where Aqua the Swanna came into play. Aqua had been a mere Ducklett back then and was still learning how to fly. Aqua somehow got herself tangled in some rope and was hanging at the edge of a scaffolding when Monta spotted her. Monta ran past construction workers and risked her own life running onto that scaffolding, going from plank to plank, climbing up ladders, and even jumping across to get to the other side…from a _high_ altitude, just to save a Pokémon.

She was only ten years old and was a recently new Trainer at the time. I believe she had at least one badge by then, but that was it. This was pretty much what Cheren was referring to. Monta's feats are pretty much on par with my siblings' feats. (2)

"True…" I had nothing else to say…except this! "Attack, Kairi! Try your luck and see if you can get a critical!"

Kairi nodded and dashed towards Daichi. "Osha!"

Cheren smirked. "Daichi, use Leaf Tornado!"

I made a face. "Crap…"

Daichi started spinning his body around and then flipped around so that he was spinning on his head with his tail straight up in the air. Then, a large tornado of wind with a circles of light green energy spinning around it appeared at the tip of his tail. The tornado stuck onto his tail where ever it went.

"Crap…" I said again. Kairi was still just a little bit away from reaching Daichi, but it was too late.

Daichi swung on his side and caught Kairi in the tornado.

"Crap!" I should have seen this one coming…oh, Arceus, survive, Kairi, SURVIVE!

The light green energy circles in the tornado separated into light green glowing leaves that spun around inside the tornado with Kairi. The wind then started glowing green and Daichi swing it around before slamming the tornado into the ground…with Kairi in it!

"OSHA!" I heard Kairi scream.

"Kairi!" Please, for the love of Arceus, be okay!

THUD!

I winced as I watched Kairi hit the ground…hard. "No no no no no no…"

Kairi wasn't moving…

"No no no no no NO!" C'mon, don't give up on me now, girl! We've been through worse—well, I have, considering I was the one running…but still! "Don't faint on me yet!"

"Osha…" I heard Kairi reply weakly before she started picking herself off the ground. Kairi was still conscious, that was good…but for how long?

"Okay, screw this! I ain't putting you against a type disadvantage!" I don't care if people have done it before! Kairi doesn't know any moves to use against grass Pokémon! Gah, I need to consult one of my siblings for tips on what sort of moves to teach Kairi…

I returned Kairi to her Poké ball and sent out Ivy…huh, Snivy against Snivy… Interesting, but this is a bit of a neutral matchup. Still, better than putting Kairi against Daichi…fricken' Snivy knew Leaf Tornado like Ivy.

"Okay, Ivy, that prick nearly took out Kairi!" I told Ivy. "Whip him good, girl!"

Ivy focused all of her attention on Daichi and I swear I could see some sparks flying between the two.

"Sni…" she said rather darkly.

Daichi flinched upon seeing Ivy's face. Did…Ivy just use Leer? Whoa…I didn't tell her to do that—ah, what do I care! She lowered Daichi's defenses a bit and considering that they're a neutral matchup, I'd say that was a necessary move for her Vine Whip to deal more damage on Daichi. Thinking about it now, I should learn to be a bit more like Ivy. She's smart…

Okay, forget attacking first! I need to get Ivy tanked up. "Use Growth!"

The boost was need for her offensive moves!

"Snivy sni sni!" Ivy's body began to glow a bit with green energy. Once her body stopped glowing, I noticed a small difference in Ivy. To anyone else, they probably wouldn't notice anything whatsoever, but to me…I could see it. Ivy had gotten slightly bigger…_slightly_.

"Daichi, use Slam…" Cheren said.

Daichi ran towards Ivy and slammed his tail into her. Ivy fell onto the ground rather hard, but she quickly recovered and used Vine Whip on Daichi, making this the second time she did something on her own in this battle.

Cheren took note of this. "Your Snivy's rather independent."

"Well, I guess it might have to do with the fact that she's not originally my Pokémon." Ivy was loyal to me, but in battle…she had a mind of her own. She knew what to do and to be honest, I liked that about her. Ivy knew when to listen and when to do things on her own. "However, I don't actually care…she's kicking Daichi's ass and that's all that matters!"

Cheren adjusted his glasses. "Figures…"

"You're just jealous because my reptile is more awesome than yours…" I said as I placed my hands on my hips.

Cheren crossed his arms. "Tch, Daichi's better…"

"We'll see about that!" I exclaimed. "Ivy, use Leaf Tornado…right after you whip Daichi good!"

"Sni!" was Ivy's response.

Ivy kept whipping Daichi with her vines until she managed to push him back a good amount of distance away from her. Almost at once, she initiated her Leaf Tornado attack and started spinning around. Within seconds, Daichi was now spinning around inside Ivy's Leaf Tornado.

I couldn't help but gush over just how badass Ivy was. "I named you well, little one!"

"Tch, not really," Cheren said looked at Ivy. "She lacks any poison-type moves to make her as deadly as Poison Ivy and she's not much of a seductress either…besides, isn't her name supposed to be Pamela?"

"She liked Ivy better!" I scowled at Cheren. "And just you wait, Cheren! Ivy will eventually live up to her namesake!"

Once I figure out how to make her a seductress and teach her Toxic, then everything will be set in place. My mother showed me as a child…that any Pokémon who are capable of learning any other move within their current state can learn Toxic. All I needed was the technique used to teach Ivy, Toxic…

For now, Ivy's pretty much just named after a plant with the same name…nothing poisonous about her…yet.

Daichi managed to make it out of the Leaf Tornado. He was damaged, but not enough to hinder his movement and stamina. Ivy, on the other hand, was starting to show signs of exhaustion. I bit my lip and crossed my arms.

It took me until now to realize that Ivy…she wasn't one for endurance. It looks like I had to train her a bit…dammit! I should have used Natsuki instead of Ivy, now that I think about it! I have yet to learn anything about my Pansear's abilities and this could have been a great way to discover them…but no, I sent out Ivy.

I face palmed. "Why did I not think this through?"

"Did you just realize that you could have sent out your Pansear instead of Snivy?" Cheren asked. "Because if you did, kudos for taking this long to figure it out."

I scowled at Cheren. "Why are we friends?"

"To be honest, I really don't know…" Cheren replied. "We just are…that…and our parents are friends. We grew up with each other…we're used to each other by now."

"Huh, got a point, there…" I mean that makes a lot of sense. "Oh, crap! The battle!"

I turned my attention back on Daichi and Ivy and found that Ivy was trying to use Vine Whip on Daichi, but Daichi just kept dodging.

"Daichi's a fast learner…" Cheren remarked.

I clenched my fists and stomped my foot. "What is it with your Pokémon and Bel's being fast learners?"

"Snivy are naturally intelligent," Cheren replied. "I'm not sure about Bel, though…and I'm starting to question Touya's mentality for letting you have his Snivy."

"Ivy bit his hand and Touya doesn't like her for that," I explained. "He holds a bit of a grudge against her…"

"You mean like he will when he finds you?" Cheren said as his glasses gleamed in the light.

"Uh…what do you mean?" Crap…please don't tell me Cheren knows…

Cheren adjusted his glasses. "We'll talk about this later when we're alone… For now, we have a battle to finish."

"Ah…right…" I don't feel good for some reason…

…

…

Through means of learning yet another new move, Ivy came out victorious in her battle against Daichi. She finally learned Slam, which is a good thing. New moves are good…_very_ good…

Cheren was rather passive about losing to Ivy. "Huh…Daichi lost…"

"Told you Ivy was better than Daichi," I said proudly. "Isn't that right, Ivy?"

"Sni!" was Ivy's response.

Cheren returned Daichi back into his Poké ball and looked at me. "I still think Daichi is better…but that's just because he's my Pokémon. Not like I'll ever tell him that face to face…"

"Your Snivy has problems with his ego?" I asked.

Cheren nodded his head. "Pretty much…our loss against Touko brought Daichi down a few notches. Though, it's much more than that…I found out on my own that, well…believe it or not, Daichi has a bit of an inferiority-complex." (3)

"What?" Okay, did I hear that right?

"Daichi has insecurities which he hides under a façade," Cheren explained. "He might act like he's stronger and better than you, and I know he does that a lot to me, but it's only an act. He has to be reassured that every compliment he receives from me is because of his abilities, otherwise he'll start feeling self-conscious about what others think of him."

"And what I said about Ivy…I didn't…did I?" Oh, god…I think I might have accidentally made a Pokémon feel inferior…

"No, you didn't…I put him under the belief that _you_ have the inferiority-complex," Cheren replied. "I told him about your issues and your family and he took it to heart."

"…I hate you, you know?" I do NOT have an inferiority-complex!

…

…

Do I? "Dammit, Cheren, you're making me have insecurities!"

"To be fair, I wouldn't blame you if you had one…" Cheren said as he replaced his Snivy's Poké ball with another. "Time to come out, Kuro."

Kuro popped out of the Poké ball and earned the many squeals of delighted fangirls. He was adorable…and I almost squealed, but I didn't. I already had my experience with N's Purrloin, so I'm used to this…plus, I already spent some decent time with Kuro. He's not gonna catch off guard.

Cheren adjusted his glasses. "Kuro, use Assist."

One Leaf Tornado later,

"Goddammit, why?" Kuro DID catch me by surprise!

I stared at my Snivy as she lied on the floor in an unconscious heap after having a rather rough impact with the wall. Leaf Tornado can do that if it's aimed at the wall…which is what Kuro did!

"You fricken' cheating feline!" I yelled at Kuro.

Kuro tried to act all cute and innocent, but I knew better. I decided to leave it at that since most Dark type Pokémon are known for being combat pragmatists. They'll do anything to win and since Pokémon battles only have a few standards rules, it's legit. So I have no reason to complain…but really! Did Kuro HAVE to aim for the wall? Gah…here's to hoping Kairi can take it!

"Come on out, my love!" I exclaimed as I threw Kairi's Poké ball onto the ground.

Kairi was released out of the Poké ball after it bounced on the ground. I caught the Poké ball in my hand after it bounced up. Kairi looked a little worn out, but she seemed okay…I hope.

"Okay, Kairi, use Water Gun!" Felines don't like water!

Kairi inhaled deeply and released a jet of water from her mouth. The water hit Kuro right in the face, but instead of doing what I expected the Purrloin to do, Kuro just hissed at Kairi right after the water stopped coming. Kuro's fur puffed up and his claws were unsheathed.

"Purr!" he yowled.

Cheren blinked a few times and took out his Pokédex. "Huh, let's see…ah, so you do know that move. Well, then use Slash, Kuro!"

Kuro stood up on his hind legs and dashed over to Kairi. I was only lucky that Kairi used her defend herself from Kuro's attack. How I love the fact that my otter thing can actually fight back…

"Use Water Gun, quick!" I grinned as I watched Kuro get hit in the face with Kairi's Water Gun. The pressure from the attack was enough to send the feline back a few feet. "Okay, now use Night Slash!"

It's not an effective move as it's a Dark type move that is being used on a Dark type Pokémon, but Kairi took down a Purrloin with it before. I'm just hoping for another critical!

…

…

For some reason, Kairi's shell didn't glow red. Instead, it glowed brightly and a blue aura emanated from the shell. I was confused…what was going on?

Kairi swung her shell once and the aura around the shell stretched. It seemed to have hardened as it formed into an energy blade. I stared at Kairi as she used her shell to slash at Kuro. I didn't know what to say. I was very, very confused…

"I thought I told you to use Night Slash!" I suddenly blurted out. "What is this attack?"

"Check your Pokédex," Cheren said. "I think it'll explain the change in attack…"

I did what Cheren told me to do and I found out that Kairi learned a new move. Razor Shell…wow, two new moves in one day. I'm fricken' lucky…

"Wow…" I'm starting to wonder if there is a downside to being so damn lucky. For now, I'm just glad because Kuro was knocked out by Kairi after a few slashes of her Razor Shell attack. I have yet to have lost a battle and I currently have a consecutive winning streak of five!

After Dento declared me as the winner, the female customers all went, "Awww…"

I narrowed my eyes and resisted the urge to rage. Those damn fangirls wanted Cheren to win, not me…

Cheren walked over to me after he returned Kuro into his Poké ball. I had just returned Kairi into her Poké ball when he pulled out his wallet and handed me eight-hundred Pokédollars.

"Don't spend it all in one place," he said.

"Uh, thanks…?" I said as I took the money. "Heh, I can get used to winning…"

"Losing to you means I have a lot to learn," Cheren said as he adjusted his glasses. "Don't get used to winning…"

I narrowed my eyes at Cheren. "Prick…"

Cheren ignored me and grabbed me by the wrist. "Let's go…we have a lot to talk about."

"Why is everyone aiming for my right wrist?" That bruise is never going to heal!

Cheren ignored me once more and just kept his hold on my wrist as he dragged me along with him. I wondered where we were going…

…

…

* * *

><p>AN End of chapter…

Hey! Another update, woo! :D And looks like OC and Cheren finally had their battle…and we learn stuff! It also seems that OC might be in trouble considering Cheren seems to know something. And more stuff from the anime is put in this fic! XD Those cheerleader outfits…that's all.

Yeah, about Daichi…I'll explain that in a bit!

(1) Actually, that's because KD was a dumbass and forgot about OC's head bandages.

OC: "But then she remembered!"

Yeah…*avoids bricks* I'm sorry for the inconsistencies, okay?

(2) Because Monta is a boss…no questions asked. Yeah, this is how Monta is in _Our Last Pact_ and I'll be damned if I don't let her stay the same way in this fic. What you just got was the origin of how Aqua came into Monta's possession…and of how awesome Monta is. Respect the woman…

(3) Okay, here's the thing about Daichi. Originally, in _Our Last Pact_, Daichi had problems with his pride. He cried when he lost his first battle, which was against Touko and her Oshawott, Ren. In this story, Daichi is the same as in _Our Last Pact_ and the part about him crying after losing to Ren has already happened. However…in this fic, as I was inputting Daichi's little problem, I decided to look into it a bit more into it. I thought Daichi was an egomaniac, but then I looked up the definition and noticed it didn't fit with Daichi…

So then I decided to look up the definition for ego and self-esteem was one of them. Then I thought about insecurities since low self-esteem can do that to ya, which then led me to the inferiority-complex. After looking up the definition for it, I wondered if Tvtropes had a page for it, so I looked it up. What I got…was this:

Inferiority Superiority Complex— Sometimes, it turns out a character who seems to think the world of themselves actually doesn't. Their high-and-mighty attitude hides crippling insecurity. They're often eager, even desperate, to prove themselves, and they won't take it well if their attempt fails. Commonly they'll try to feel more secure by putting others down.

This trope fit Daichi…and when I found out who was on the list of examples under videogames for this trope, I decided to go along with it. Wanna know who was the example that made Daichi's inferiority-complex official?

Well, the example is none other than our favorite red-haired rival, Silver…yes, him…_that_ Silver. The one we consider in terms of personality of being the darkest of the rivals in the series. The same Silver who is (at first) cruel, hateful, power-obsessed and even physically abusive, pushing the player character around several times. It's hard to believe that he has an inferiority-complex, right?

Though, to be fair, this only applies to Silver in the _remakes_ of _Pokémon Gold and Silver__ for obvious reasons involving an event Celebi. So in the remakes, Silver _acts like he's stronger and better than everyone else, but it's only to compensate for the failure of his father Giovanni and his fear of his own weaknesses.

Anyways, just to let you know, that Cheren's current team consists of a Shiny Purrloin who was ostracized by his own kind due to his alternate coloration, a Snivy with an inferiority-complex, and an abused, traumatized Panpour. He's got a rather interesting group, which then led me to this thought after thinking about it a bit: Holy crap, it's a makeshift Team Seven with Cheren as Kakashi!

Just to let you know…Sasuke Uchiha was under the anime/manga examples of this trope. Yeah…XD

Well, that's about it for this chapter. Reviews are love, but NO FLAMES! DX Wait patiently for the next chapter, so until next time, KD out! XD


	13. Busted!

I stared at Cheren as he closed the door behind him. We were in the room he and N were sharing. It was a nice room, but…what the hell?!

_Click!_

Did Cheren just lock the door…? "Uh…?"

"Okay, we're finally alone…" Cheren said as he adjusted his bowtie.

I stared at Cheren. "…the fuck?"

Okay, I shouldn't be thinking this, but...this doesn't look right...

"Look, this isn't what it looks like," Cheren said firmly. "I told you we were going to talk when we were alone."

Aw, crap…it's about Touya…okay! Time to act dumb, don't screw up, girl! "About what?"

"Touya…" Cheren replied.

I blinked. "What about Touya?"

Cheren scowled and took a step forward. "Cut the crap, I know Touya wouldn't let you go on your own since he was under direct orders from your sister to watch over you until you two have arrived at Striaton City. The fact that Touya is nowhere to be seen tells me that you left him…and from what I learned earlier this morning, you actually did."

I stared wide-eyed at Cheren. "How did you—what?"

"X-Transceiver…he's pretty pissed off you left," Cheren replied. "I didn't tell him where you were, just that you were doing fine. He's being kept up due to the path to Striaton City is clogged up with fallen trees…you wouldn't have anything to do with it, would you?"

"It's not my fault!" I exclaimed. "I uh…never mind…"

"You know something…" Cheren said as he walked closer. "Tell me what happened after you left…"

I backed up. "It's nothing!"

I'm not speaking of what happened prior to my arrival to this city… Unfortunately, Cheren would not let me leave it at that.

"What happened?" Cheren asked as he kept moving closer.

I refused to answer and I just realized that Cheren was trying to corner me. Okay, fuck this! I'm leaving! I ran past Cheren, barely avoiding his grasp as he tried to grab me by the wrist. Not today, four-eyes!

I made it to the door and it had only occurred to me that it was locked when I tried to turn the knob. Crap, I wasted a few seconds! That was time that could have been used to unlock the door! I quickly tried to unlock the door and I managed to succeed, but before I could turn the doorknob, arms suddenly wrapped around my waist. I was then pulled back with such a force, that I ended up falling back…

THUD!

Thankfully, the landing was soft so it didn't hurt…wait, soft—oh, fuck! I landed on Cheren! I hope I didn't hurt him…

"Gah, heavy…" Cheren muttered.

Okay, I hope that hurt, then! Prick…I know I'm heavy, but he doesn't have to say it that way… Wait, what was I doing again? Oh, right! I wanted to leave this room! I tried to get up, but Cheren kept his hold on me.

"Let me go!" I really don't like where this is going!

"Not until you tell me!" Cheren said firmly. "What happened after you left?"

"Cheren, let go…or I'll scream…" I'll do it!

"Scream and I'll tell everyone what you did…" Why am I friends with you, Cheren?

I don't like this… "What are you doing—waugh!"

THUD!

"Agh, finally…" Cheren said after he finished rolling over…with me now on the bottom.

Okay, ow…ow…ow… There's a throbbing pain in my chest and it involves certain assets that do NOT appreciate being squished against the floor! And it doesn't help that Cheren's weight is making it hurt more!

"Get off!" Cheren, you're heavy! "I mean it!"

THUD!

I managed to roll over as well and now Cheren was back to being on the bottom…

THUD!

And now he was back on top! "Dammit, get off!"

THUD!

THUD!

THUD!

THUD!

"Stop doing that!" Cheren snapped at me.

THUD!

I scowled. "Only if you get off me!"

"You're on me!" Cheren countered.

THUD!

"Goddammit, Cheren, stop doing that! You're squishing my boobs!" That _exist!_

THUD!

"Then stop elbowing me in the stomach!" Cheren exclaimed.

THUD!

"At least let me move onto my back!" That way, I won't have to put up with the floor against my chest! "You won't have to put up with my elbowing if you let me!"

THUD!

THUD!

"Ow…my forehead…"

"Oops…"

After rolling around on the floor for quite some time, we managed to finally hit the wall. Actually, I hit the wall and it's all Cheren's fault! Right after I rolled over, Cheren didn't even wait a second before initiating another roll and thanks to the wall, the roll was incomplete as I hit that wall. And when I hit that wall, my forehead got the brunt of the impact…now it fucking hurts!

I regret ever bashing my head against that tree…ow…I was too busy tending to my throbbing forehead to notice that Cheren had released me. When I finally noticed, I immediately sat up—and then found myself pinned against the wall by Cheren. I blinked a few times and noticed just how close our faces were.

"Uh, Cheren…?" I can feel my face heating up…I don't like this. "Please get off me…"

Cheren looked at me sternly. "Tell me what happened…and I'll let you go… Don't make this anymore difficult than it should…"

"Uh…ah, fuck it!" I can't do anything else, so no point in avoiding the inevitable… "Right after I left Touya, I found this Pansear and we became quick friends!"

Cheren blinked. "Okay…what happened after that?"

"Just to let you know…this isn't the first time I left Touya…" Might as well tell him what happened the first time, otherwise he won't get the insults aimed at Thundurus part… "The last time I left him, I almost got killed by Thundurus."

Cheren stared at me with wide eyes. "What?"

"My first night on my own and I nearly get myself killed…" Grant it, it wasn't my fault, but I still can't believe my luck. "Touya saved me…we stuck together after that."

"But not for long, right?" Cheren asked. "I'm aware that this isn't the first time you've left Touya…that's part of the reason why he was pissed off. However, I didn't know what happened the first time until just now."

"I had to tell you what happened because it's related to what happened after I left Touya again…" Here I go…gah, I'm not going to like this… "When I left Touya the second time, right after I caught myself a Pansear, it started raining…just like that night I was on my own for the first time."

"And what does that have to do with anything?" Cheren asked.

"Shut it, four-eyes, I'm getting there!" Be glad I'm even speaking…but then again, I'm speaking because I have no choice…damn. "It was getting all gusty and everything and when I heard a sound, I thought it was Thundurus since it didn't start raining until he came around. I assume he has something to do with the weather…"

I definitely need to look into any information I can find on Thundurus and Tornadus… It could probably do me good to avoid them in the future.

"Anyways, unlike last time, I was pissed off instead of scared…" I regret ever letting rage get the best of me… "So I kinda, sorta…_snapped_."

Cheren looked nervous. "Don't tell me—never mind, just continue on…"

"Look, I thought it was Thundurus, so I started ranting and I sort of…threatened to strangle the Pokémon…?" I feel awkward now, considering that it was because of this that ended up screwing me over.

"You did what?" Cheren exclaimed.

"Look, I wasn't in the best state of mind, I was pissed off, and I really thought it was Thundurus…" I regret nothing—actually, I _do_ regret something! I regret ever letting rage get the best of me!

Cheren blinked. "Was it Thundurus?"

"I wish…" At least with Thundurus, all I would have to worry about him is a near-death experience… "But no, I ended up lucking out and by lucking out, I mean shit outta luck! I ended up encountering Tornadus instead!"

"I'm guessing the encounter didn't go well…" Cheren…you really don't know how right you are…

"I was chased by that bastard…" My legs still hurt, but I've gotten used to the pain. "I got really lucky he wasn't using his abilities to their fullest extent, otherwise I wouldn't be here…"

Cheren just stared at me. "Just what did you do to get Tornadus to chase after you?"

I looked away from Cheren. "…I got Kairi to use Water Gun on him…"

Cheren grabbed my shoulders and started shaking me. "Why did you do that?! Do you have any idea who you were up against?!"

"I know who I was up against!" I snapped at Cheren. "You think I didn't know that? I checked his Pokédex entry when I was confused with him not being Thundurus!"

"Then tell me why you did that?!" Cheren asked again as he looked me in the eyes. "He could have killed you, too! Tornadus is just as capable of killing people just as Thundurus!"

I bit my lip and diverted my gaze from Cheren. "He wouldn't kill me…"

"What makes you so damn sure that he wouldn't?!" Cheren exclaimed as he gripped my shoulders tightly. "You…"

My eyes widened as I heard Cheren choke back a sob. I turned to Cheren and saw that his eyes were starting to glisten with tears. He was close to crying…

Cheren hesitated a bit before suddenly wrapping his arms around me in a tight embrace. I couldn't be any more confused at this point. Was Cheren actually hugging me? Whoa…just, whoa…

"I know I don't show it and you might think I hate you, but I really do care for you… I care for you, Touya, Touko, and Bel…" Cheren said softly. "You guys are my friends… I just…I just don't want anything to happen to either of you guys…"

"Hear me out, Cheren…please…" Gah, my eyes are starting to water…dammit, Cheren! You're making me cry… "There's a reason why Tornadus has no intention whatsoever of killing me…and it frightens me more than my first experience with Thundurus."

"Just…what is it?" Cheren said before removing his arms off me. He looked at me, his eyes still a bit misty.

"I'm female…" was all I said.

…

…

Cheren's eyes widened. "Oh, dear Arceus…I am so sorry…I thought that only happened in myths..."

"Don't be…it's not your fault he likes me that way…" I don't even know why Tornadus liked me in the first place, aside from finding me interesting. "It's just…why me? Out of everyone in the Unova region, why did he pick me? I'm just…I'm just glad that I escaped… I will NOT let my life become a myth..."

I really don't want to imagine what could have been if Tornadus had caught me. I try not to think of it…I managed so far and I have yet to experience any nightmares. I'm extremely glad for that…

"So those fallen trees…" Cheren remarked.

"That was Tornadus…" He has a real powerful Air Slash…but I didn't say that. "He chased me all the way to Striaton City… I hid in an alley and found Trubbish…I'm thinking of giving him to Touya, but if Touya doesn't want Trubbish…Trubbish is mine…"

Cheren nodded his head. "Ah, so that's where you found that Trubbish…"

"Yeah, anyways, once I was here in Striaton City, I tried looking for the Pokémon Center…" I have yet to figure out its location up to this day… N was really persistent in letting me find out and letting Touko and Iris tell me. "I sat down on a bench and dozed off in the rain…yeah, not exactly the smartest thing to do, but I was sleep-deprived and I overexerted myself to the point of vomiting from it…I also had a fever. N woke me up after finding me and when I tried to ask him for directions to the Pokémon Center, he refused."

"Why?" Cheren asked.

I sighed. "Cheren…N doesn't trust Pokémon Centers. I don't know why, but he just doesn't. What happened afterwards was a bit of a blur. I remembered throwing up again and not feeling good before I blacked out. When I came, I was here… N brought me over to the Striaton City Gym. I found out that I had been out for a day and that I had also contracted a cold…I got better by the time I woke up. One day later, I got a job here and the next day, I meet you, Touko, and Iris…and that's about all that's happened after I left Touya."

Huh, I feel better now that I let that out… I shouldn't keep things to myself all the time, then!

…

…

"Can you let me go, now?" I've gotten used to Cheren being so close and his hands being on my shoulders, but I rather not be in this position anymore. I think my legs fell asleep…

I resisted the urge to squeal as I saw Cheren blush. I think he just noticed how close we have been… A small bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face…he was nervous! I always thought Cheren looked absolutely adorable when he was nervous. It was because he was rarely ever this nervous. He was usually calm, but now…he's not! (1)

Before Cheren could say or do anything, the door suddenly swung open and Cheren and I found ourselves staring at a very confused Touko, a wide-eyed Iris, and an amused set of triplets.

"Uh…what's going on here?" Touko managed to ask.

Pod blinked a few times and shook his head. "I don't want to know…"

"I hope we weren't interrupting anything…" Dento said as he laughed nervously.

Corn had a very faint smile on his face. "Would you like us to leave?"

Iris said nothing. N was amongst the group and he did not look amused whatsoever. He pushed past the triplets and walked up to Cheren and me. He then grabbed onto the back of Cheren's vest and pulled him into a standing position. Wow…N's strong…

"What were you doing to her?" N asked Cheren, his tone rather stern. "She's crying!"

Wait, what? I placed my hand on my cheek and found it damp with tears. I blinked and felt the sting in my eyes. Ah, dammit…now N's got the wrong idea…

"Look, nothing happened…" Nobody better get the wrong idea!

"It sure doesn't look that way…" Pod remarked.

Cheren stuttered a few times, but managed to finally find his voice. "Look, I wanted to know what happened before she came here and she didn't want to talk about it. I got carried away because I felt it was something I needed to know…"

"Is that why you two were close to making out?" Pod asked. "If so, Dento, you owe me money."

"What the hell?!" was my response. "What is this about money?!"

Pod crossed his arms. "Well, you and Cheren are childhood friends and you two also happen to be rivals. I just assumed there was something going on between you two because most rivals end up pairing up together later in life…I mean, look at Blue and Green from Kanto!"

Huh, why do those names sound familiar…oh! I remember them! My oldest brother told me about them. Green was the boy who usurped his title as Champion…well, Red the Ultimate Trainer did that, but he didn't stay around too long, so my brother got the title again…which he then lost to Green. Though, not long after, Green lost his title as Champion to Blue. Red, Blue, and Green were part of the group of Trainers who brought down Team Rocket during Generation I. Green and Blue also happened to be rivals, but now in their current age…they're husband and wife. (2)

…

…

Wait…Pod assumes and Cheren and I… "Oh, hell no! We don't follow that trend!"

I'll be damned if I end up with Cheren…no! I'm not one for making that nightmare I had of Cheren and I a reality. If anyone's ending up with Cheren, it's Bel.

I stared at Dento as he held out his hand to Pod and said, "I believe you owe me money. They didn't follow the trend…"

Pod muttered under his breath and handed Dento some Pokédollars. Corn just looked at his younger brothers and sighed. Something tells me he didn't pitch in for the bet…thank Arceus! At least Corn has the decency to stay out of stuff like this…

…

…

By now, everyone was fully aware of what really happened between Cheren and me. We might have left out the part about Touya (and by might, I mean deliberately), but when it came to Tornadus…yeah, Cheren filled everyone in on that. As for why we were in such a position…

"I make things much more difficult than they should," was my answer. "Don't ask, just take it to heart…you'll find out eventually."

Pretty much, that's total fact. I do make everything much more difficult than it should. I mean, if I didn't, I would have never encountered Thundurus, which then would have prevented me from ranting out on Tornadus, thus avoiding the current problem I have with Tornadus… Ah, dammit…it _is_ my fault. Well, fuck my life…

I muttered under my breath as I walked over to a table. I was angry at both myself and the fact that Pod made me take orders because it was his break time. I call shenanigans on him! Okay, sure, he's my boss and everything, but why do I have to take orders? This means I have to pay attention even more!

Do you have any idea how difficult it is to pay attention when you have ADHD? Extremely difficult…and even if I did take my medicine, I have another problem. I can't multitask! Listening and writing down orders is something that I cannot do! I have already experienced this sort of problem in school. The teacher would be talking and everyone would be writing down notes. Meanwhile with me, I can't write a damn thing without forgetting what exactly has been talked about. That's why I depend on Cheren for notes—Cheren should be taking orders, not me!

I'm just glad that there aren't many customers right now. There were only two and it was my job to take their order. I turned my attention at the people sitting at the table. It was a boy and girl, probably around my age. I'm guessing they both came to challenge the Gym, but found out about the situation and then decided just to stay at the café to order something. Both were currently looking at a menu, so it was possible. I wasn't able to get a good look at either of their faces because their faces were hidden behind their menus.

I sighed and took out a small notepad and a pen. "Hello, I'll be your waitress for today. What would you two like to order—HOLY MOTHER OF MEW BATMAN!"

Fucking shit, what the crap, flying Miltank, oh dear Arceus—why?! How the hell did I not see this coming?! I was spazzing the hell out as I stared wide-eyed at the boy. The boy had lowered his menu just as I was asking him for his order and lo and behold, the boy was none other than Touya.

And from the blank look on his face, I could tell he was so not amused…well, fuck.

…

…

* * *

><p>AN End of chapter.

And Touya finally finds OC! :D It was bound to happen sooner or later… Now for Cheren and OC…that just happened for the sake of humor and just because since I can't make everything easy for OC as she plays matchmaker. That'd be too simple! XD

(1) Look at Cheren's VS sprite for _Black 2 _and_ White 2_… Not only is he blushing, but he's also sweating, meaning he's nervous. Cheren is the type of person who has managed to keep his cool for the most part. However, there are times where he has trouble staying calm…in _Black 2 _and_ White 2_, he has shown this in his VS sprite. I'm not sure if any of you guys share the same opinion as me, but I find a nervous Cheren to be absolutely adorable.

(2) Okay, let me explain this before everyone of you guys start yelling at me about telling the names wrong. I didn't make a mistake… Blue is the girl and Green is the boy, not the other way around and I'll be damned if you tell me that's not how it is in _Pokémon Adventures_!

I'll let you know that's exactly how it is in _Pokémon Adventures_. I don't care if you tell me that Blue is the boy because of _Silver/Gold/Crystal_ and _HG/SS_, because his name _is_ Green! The problem with Green and Blue is the fact that localization has switched their names around due to the fact that _Pokémon Green_ was never released outside of Japan… Instead, we got _Pokémon Blue_.

While we know the Gym Leader of the Viridian City Gym by the name of Blue, everyone in Japan knows him as Green. When it comes to _Pokémon Adventures_, I go with what is put on Serebii (look it up, it's a site) and guess what? Serebii keeps Blue and Green the way they are in the original Japanese version.

As for another thing as to why I refuse to go with the flow and follow the English version… Let's look at a key detail in all the characters and their names… Their names are what define a certain aspect of their character. And just what would that aspect be?

That aspect is the color of their eyes. Everyone, save for Black, White, Diamond, and Pearl, has the eye color that matches their name. For that exact reason, I cannot accept Green as Blue and Blue as Green…their eye color does not match their names! If I did, Green (girl) would have blue eyes and Blue (boy) would have green eyes. I cannot ignore that inconsistency! Do you get what I'm trying to explain?

On another note, Yellow also doesn't follow the eye color trend, but **SPOILER:** she (YES, she is a girl, not a boy!) does still follow a different pattern and that is sharing her hair and eye color with a Pikachu.** END OF SPOILER.** Yellow hair (fur) and brown eyes...Yellow is basically a Pikachu.**  
><strong>

I'm ending this discussion here. I'm not delving into it anymore. I'm firm on my stand when it comes to Green and Blue. Besides, I have plans for these guys when it comes to my LeafGreen and FireRed fanfic (when I get to it)…

And, as you can see, I'm a fan of OldRivalShipping…and it's been already implied in this fic. The same goes with any other rival-related shippings, which have been implied in this fic…that's what the term, "trend" if for. My only exceptions to this are when it comes to Cheren and Bel.

Welp, that's about it for this chapter! Reviews are love~! I want NO FLAMES! Wait patiently for the next chapter, so until next time, KD out! XD


	14. A Very Dysfunctional Reunion

I stared at Touya, not knowing what I should do. Okay, considering what I have done, and now that Touya has found me, I know one thing already.

I'm totally boned.

Well, only one thing to do in a situation like this! Run like hell.

"Don't you fucking dare!"

Oh, but I _did_! And so a chase worthy of being accompanied by a Benny Hill montage ensued…in my imagination. Meanwhile in the real world, Touya was spouting out swears at me that would make even the saltiest of sailors blush—hell! Even I was blushing and I am one to _never_ blush—okay, that's bullshit. Let me rephrase that, ahem…I am never one to blush at _swears_. That said, the fact that I am currently redder than a tomato is saying something.

Of course, this only fueled my current mindset of "FUCK EVERYTHING AND RUN!" and constant ignoring of the pain in my legs. Legs, don't fail me now…really, don't—intersection! Oh crap, which way do I go—LEFT! People in the way, move right—why am I talking to myself?! Oh crap, that guy selling cabbages is in the way—what is with those cabbages?! This is so _not_ _Avatar the Last Airbender_—which kinda sucks, now that I think of it. I would make an AWESOME firebender…yeah…

…Welp, I avoided hearing the phrase, "My cabbages!" Still, something is off…my ears aren't picking up any swearing. Huh, I wonder if I lost Touya—

"Get back here you fucking liability!" And I'll take that as what is a "HELL NO" from Touya for five thousand Pokédollars—when was I a liability?!

…

…

Oh, right…my sister put Touya in charge of me—DEAD END. My eyes widened as I skid to a stop and used my hands to prolong the impact my face had with the brick wall, thus making it less painful than it would have been if I didn't because acceleration, force, and stuff…PHYSICS!

…ow…my forehead…okay, right next to my wrist, I don't think I'll be seeing my forehead healing anytime soon at this rate—oh, and is that blood I see on my fingers from touching my forehead? Oh, that's nice…wasn't there a reason why I was running?

"Got you cornered!"

Son of a whore— THUD!

"Aagh…" Why am I seeing double? Ooagh…my head…

…

…

…

Ugh, who turned off the light?

"Is she okay?" a voice penetrated the darkness.

What the heck is going on? Am I…dead?

"She's fine," a second voice replied. "I've seen her take worse…"

I'll take that as a no…huh, whatever I'm laying on, it's rather cushy.

"But her forehead's bleeding!" yet another voice spoke.

Is that what that warm gunk on my head is? "Ugh…"

"Perfectly fine," the second voice asserted. "Just watch…hey, guess what? Cheren's thinking of proposing to you…"

My eyes immediately snapped open and I sat up. "Shut the fuck up!"

I was on a bed, which explained the cushiness. Specifically, I was in Pod's bed and obviously, I was in his room. Of course, I wasn't alone. I looked around and found myself being stared at by my friends…and my bosses. Oh, and Touya is here—shit. He stared at me as he crossed his arms.

"Busted?" I said.

Touya didn't even have to say anything. Touko and Iris were confused, while Dento, Corn, and Pod were talking amongst each other. Meanwhile with Cheren, his face was red—oh, don't tell me it's true!

"Please, for the love of Arceus, tell me that Touya was lying…" All my plans of playing matchmaker…no…they'll be a waste if Cheren says, "Yes."

I could hear Pod bring up the bet again with his brothers. Lovely, just lovely…I could feel the images of my nightmare popping up in mind. I shuddered.

Cheren shook his head and adjusted his glasses. "Why would I want to propose to you? We fight enough as is as friends. Our marriage will only result in divorce."

"That wasn't a 'no'…" I am paranoid at this point. Fatherly Cheren is scary to me, yo. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW AWKWARD IT EVEN _IS_ TO IMAGINE HAVING KIDS WITH THIS GUY?! It is _VERY_ fucking awkward...oh god, now I'm remembering the contraceptive I found in Touya's bag! "For the love of Arceus, please do _not_ be proposing!"

Cheren narrowed his eyes. "I'm not proposing to you. I'll put it in two simple words that even you would understand…Fuck that." (1)

I sighed in relief. "Oh, that's good…"

"Aww… I thought you two would make a cute a couple…"

I froze as I recognized that voice. I turned and found myself staring at a frowny-faced Bel. Oh, please tell me I heard wrong… "What did you say?"

"You and Cheren always fight with each other, so I thought…I mean…" Bel was turning red at this point. Aww, she's embarrassed—she thinks Cheren and I—_that_!?

"No, Bel, no…just, no…" I don't even…

"Don't they both have to be seventeen or something?" I heard Iris ask.

I heard Touko sigh. "Can we please change the subject?"

At that moment, I felt two hands grab my shoulders roughly. At the same time, I found myself face to face with Touya.

"What the fuck were you thinking, you stupid bitch?!" he yelled at me. "How could you just leave us…and leave your X-Transceiver at the same time, as well?!"

I said nothing, just stayed quiet and looked away. I focused my gaze on Bel, because I like Bel and she wasn't angry. Bel blinked and smiled.

"He's just like that because he was worried," she replied. "I mean, we just woke up and you were gone. We didn't even know where you were, so…yeah."

Aww, so Touya was just worried about me? That's rather sweet of him…I can't stay mad at him anymore. He can be such a—

"I was worried that she was going to get her ass killed on her own! I'm surprised she's still even alive right now!"

STUPID ASSHOLE BASTARD! Everyone could see my face getting red with pure fury. I leaped out of the bed and lunged at Touya. Corn and Pod immediately reacted by trying to hold me back, but they weren't quick enough and only succeeded in throwing me off balance. I felt myself falling forward onto Touya.

THUD!

…

…

The next thing I knew, my eyes were staring right into Touya's eyes. There was a moment of silence between us. Neither of us moved, just stared. It was almost as if we were in a trance. I could hear my own heartbeat as well as Touya's…and Touya's heartbeat sounded rather rapid.

I snapped out of it the minute I started tasting blood… _Why_ do I taste blood?

Almost at once, Touya pushed me off to the side in a not-so-gentle manner. I landed on my back on the floor right next to Touya. I managed to keep my head from hitting the floor, so that was a plus. I noticed that the room was rather quiet and that everyone was staring at us. I looked at Touya.

Touya was covering his mouth, his eyes wide and his cheeks slightly red. He removed his hand and look at the palm of his hand. At that moment, I realized why we were the center of attention. Touya's lower lip was bleeding and some of that blood was on his hand. I recalled the taste of blood in my mouth and my eyes went wide.

I bit Touya's lip…

I _bit_ his _**lip**_…

…

The only way that could have happened is if our mouths made _contact_! Holy fucking shit, did my life just turn into a shoujo manga?! Because this is a totally DO NOT WANT scenario in my life! NO! I am NOT accepting that as a kiss (fuck you shoujo, I won't fall for your cliches!) but an awkward fucking lip bite of unforeseen turn of events. Of course, I may think this, but my life is officially over. Welcome to hell, it'll only get better from here and by better, I mean worse. (2)

…

…

…

I refused to make eye-contact with anyone…not even Kairi! I just isolated myself under the register, holding my knees to my chest. I was unable to forget the incident because Touya wasn't the only one who got bit. My upper lip got nicked by Touya's front teeth and let me just say, it hurts. It doesn't help that I have the tendency to lick my lips a lot—I should really buy some lip balm at this rate. Anyways, what I'm trying to say is that I can't ignore what happened.

I sighed and closed my eyes. At least I'm not complaining about it…it's just embarrassing because everyone saw it. Even Chiharu and Misato saw it and that was because they were curious about the loud noise upstairs. I'm glad N didn't see it…

Speaking of N…I found myself being surprised by the green-haired young man. He had crouched down to my level and greeted me with a rather loud, "So that's where you've been!"

Needless to say, that surprised me. I didn't exclaim or anything, just jumped a bit. I sighed again turned away from N.

"Hey, I found someone who looks like Touko in the kitchen," N said. "Do you know who he is and why he looks like Touko?"

That's cute…N wasn't told that Touko was a twin. "That's Touya and he's Touko's twin brother….that is why he looks like her—you should see their mother, though."

I can very much tell that Touko and Touya take after their mother, with Touko looking like a younger version of Monta.

"Say, why are you ignoring Kairi?" N asked innocently. "That's not like you to do that."

"I just…want to be alone right now…" I said before licking my upper lip. I have got to stop doing that…and I really do need some lip balm.

"What happened to your lip?" Great, now N noticed…

"Touya bit me…" That's all I was going to say because I am NOT talking about that incident. I was expecting N to pester me with questions, but he didn't…he exclaimed.

"He did what?!" N didn't sound…happy, let's go with that. He sounded…dark and that made me shudder. It was like that time I showed him my Pokédex and he grabbed my wrist.

I watched him move away and I just went back to doing what I was previously doing. Dear Arceus, this is almost like that time I found that contraceptive in Touya's bag—goddammit, I remembered it. This is starting to make my head hurt…and not from the opened wound I caused myself when my forehead hit that brick wall.

I sighed and shook my head. I had nothing better to do… At that moment, I realized I wasn't alone. I found myself being stared at by Trubbish. I looked at Trubbish for a few seconds before picking him off the floor and hugging him.

"Trubbish?" he said.

"I just remembered…Touya's here…" I need to go see whether or not Trubbish is in fact my Pokémon. If Touya accepts Trubbish, then Trubbish will belong to Touya… If not, he's mine and either way, Trubbish will get the Trainer he had been deprived of since his abandonment by his previous Trainer.

…

…

I made my way to the kitchen. I carried Trubbish in my arms and I was followed by my Pokémon. When I entered the kitchen, I came upon a scene that I did not expect. One thing…N was fighting with Touya. Touko and Cheren held Touya back whilst Corn and Pod held N back.

At first, the attention was all on them…and then they realized I was here, so now I was the center of attention. I nearly walked out of the kitchen, but I stopped myself.

"Touya, do you still want a Trubbish?" I have one in my possession who is looking for a Trainer.

Touya stared at me for a few seconds before realizing that I had a Trubbish in my possession. He immediately calmed down, his anger most likely forgotten as he stared wide-eyed at Trubbish. He looked almost like a kid eyeing candy or a toy…it was adorable. Touya didn't have to say anything; I could tell that he wanted Trubbish.

I walked over to Touya and handed him Trubbish. "Here you go. I found on the day I arrived at Striaton City. He's been abandoned by his previous Trainer, so be nice to him. I'm not sure about his gender and his name is entirely up to you."

Touya said nothing and just stared at Trubbish. Cheren and Touko loosened their hold on Touya around this time. Touya had lost all his hostility as he was just focusing all his attention on Trubbish.

"Tru?" Trubbish said.

Touya took out a Poké ball and tapped it lightly against Trubbish's head. Trubbish entered the Poké ball in the form of a red light. The Poké ball shook a few times and clicked. Trubbish was now officially Touya's Pokémon. He was no longer alone…

…

…

I sat down at one of the tables, looking over Bel's new Pokémon. It was a Pansage, male…and his name was Vincent. I stared at the diagonal scar on his face and wondered how in the world he got it. The smirk on Vincent's face pretty much made me think that this monkey was a delinquent and got it in a fight with another Pokémon. The fact that he and Natsuki almost got into a fight moments later, pretty much confirmed my assumption. Still, Vincent wasn't that bad of a Pansage…I rather liked him.

I shifted my attention on Touya, who just came out of the men's changing room. I blinked a few times and rubbed my eyes. Touya was wearing a waiter's outfit…and he wasn't wearing his hat. He looked rather formal…it was a good look on him.

"Hey, about earlier…I'm sorry…" Touya suddenly said.

I blinked. "Huh?"

"Look, it's just that you disappeared on us and there was a storm…" Touya began. "Remember what happened last time?"

I furrowed my brows. "Don't remind me… Let me just say that I prefer last time over what ended up happening."

Touya made a face. "I heard what happened…sorry you had to go through that."

I stretched my arms. "That's all right. It was my own damn fault, anyways. Look, the reason why I left was because I wanted to speed up the process of our eventual splitting up. We were nearing Striaton City and you were only advised to watch over me until we both got there. We're here…so I guess that means your job is done."

Touya scowled. "Idiot. You think I'm doing this because I was told to?"

I arched my brow. "Well, yeah…why else would you put up with me?"

"Because you are my responsibility," Touya replied. "Like it or not, you are not easily getting rid of me. I'll be damned if I let you out of my sight again. The first time was an accident and the second time—there should have not _been_ a second time!"

"But I thought I was only your responsibility until we reached Striaton City?!" I am so confused. "You don't have to watch over me anymore!"

"Dumbass, I just told you that I'm not watching over you because your sister told me to!" Touya snapped. "I'm doing it because I _want_ to. You are my responsibility because I _made_ you my responsibility. Only I can say when my job is done, so until that happens, you are to stay by my side…"

"Uh…" I was not aware how close Touya had gotten until I had blinked. He was literally in my face. "What are you doing?"

Touya smirked. "Just distracting you long enough to put this on you?"

I made a face. "Put what—what is that on my neck?!"

I could feel something around my neck. It wasn't tight or anything, I could barely feel it but it was definitely _there_. What the hell did Touya just do to me?!

Touya pulled away and crossed his arms. "I'm pretty sure you're familiar with Kuri's collar."

I stared wide-eyed at Touya. "Y-You! You put a tracker on me?!"

Touya shrugged. "It was the only way I can keep an eye on you. I had my aunt make me one specifically for you. I just recently obtained it from a deliveryman she sent to the Pokémon Center."

"Why the hell did she go through with it?!" I could understand if this was for a Pokémon, but why me?!

"Have you already forgotten what you have done?"

…

…

"Don't tell me…" I narrowed my eyes.

"The second I found you were gone that morning, I called my aunt and told her everything," Touya said. "And this includes the Thundurus incident. After hearing everything, she couldn't refuse."

Damn you, Professor Juniper! I thought we were cool with each other…I guess not. I silently fumed at Touya for my current situation, which he made even worse when he explained the only way I could get this damn collar off was with a key he had. And what did he do with that key? He wore it around his neck. My life officially sucked and the fact that I still recalled what happened earlier made me feel even worse. I bit Touya's lip…I'm surprised he could actually be so calm—forget that! How the hell was I able to talk to him?!

Speaking of that incident, I just noticed Touya's lower lip. It looked a bit bruised and I could still see the mark I gave him. Touya noticed I was staring and turned away from me.

"L-Look, what happened earlier…didn't happen, are we clear?" he said.

"We're clear…" I immediately said. I'm glad we're both on equal terms for that incident—is he actually blushing? Okay, I'm going back to work…and so I left Touya.

…

…

It was closing time and by now, the Striaton City Gym Leaders had acquired two more employees. Bel looked adorable in a waitress outfit, but she couldn't get over the fact over how _I_ looked cute to her. I didn't pay much attention to it since the collar around my neck…grr…

"I hate this fucking collar…" I said as I helped Bel clean up a table. "Natsuki, don't…"

Natsuki made a small noise and ceased with her constant tugging on my collar. She was curious about it, so I wouldn't blame her. It's just…now is not the time. I want to forget about it. Natsuki quickly switched over to messing with my hair, which didn't bother me at all.

"It can't be that bad…" Bel said optimistically as Vincent adjusted his position on her shoulder. She gently patted the grass monkey on the head in response. "At least it doesn't look too bad…it's cute, actually."

"Yeah, but Touya put a tracker on me like Touko did with Kuri." I can see why Kuri hates that collar…or does she hate the leash?

Bel held up her index finger. "At least you don't have to wear a leash like Kuri!"

I blinked a few times and sighed. "True…so where's Cheren?"

"He's helping out with the dishes," Bel replied. "And Touya is taking in the dirty tablecloths."

My left eye twitched in response to hearing Touya's name. Bel noticed and immediately stuttered. "I-I'm s-sorry! I shouldn't bring up his name after…you know, you two…"

"Subject change, please…" Dear Arceus, I need Kairi for this one, but she's helping out with the dishes since she's a water-type Pokémon.

"Heeey!" Bel suddenly said. "I heard there's going to be a summer festival in three days. Are you going?"

I shrugged. "Maybe…are you?"

Bel nodded her head. "I have a new yukata I want to break in…so does Touko. Say, are you going to wear a yukata?"

"Don't have one," I quickly replied.

Bel looked shocked. "What? You don't? Well, I guess I'll have to fix that for you…so it's settled! Tomorrow, we're buying you a yukata!"

I nodded my head as I folded the tablecloth. "That's nice—wait, what?!"

"Iris doesn't have one either, so I'm going to go talk to Touko about you," Bel explained. "We're going to have so much fun together."

Before I could even say anything, Bel suddenly ran into the kitchen, leaving me to myself. I looked at Natsuki and sighed.

"Welp, looks like I'm going yukata shopping tomorrow…" I sighed. "Great…"

Natsuki blinked. "Oop?"

I shook my head. "You'll find out tomorrow…"

Shopping with Bel usually ended up with me being forced into outfits. Any chance Bel got to make me into an actual _girl_-girl, she never passed up. This was one of those chances…and I had no way of avoiding it. It was the same situation with Touko, but she had her yukata already, so she'll be avoiding the treatment. Though, I have a feeling that I won't be going down alone since Iris will be coming along and she doesn't have a yukata. Maybe I shouldn't be looking at this as a bad thing… I mean, it can't be that bad? Right?

…

…

* * *

><p>AN End of chapter.

I know it's been a long time since I last updated, but I got busy! And what's even worse, this chapter ended up getting screwed over by a file corruption so I had to start from scratch again. All I know is that this chapter is not the same as it was before. I can tell you already that the whole deal with Touya chasing after OC wasn't in here originally. Touya managed to stop OC before she made it out of the door, but in this version, OC did make it out.

Yeah…at least I got the chapter done. I got busy. I'm a senior and I barely passed Calculus with a C, thank god. Now here comes second semester…yeesh.

So anyways, Trubbish is now officially Touya's Pokémon and we see a side to him that goes against the characterization I have given him. I rather like it since, hey, it's Touya. And OC has a Kuri-esque tracker on herself now since Touya has made it clear he's not letting her out of his sight. Kind of makes sense after everything that has happened to her. We are also now aware that Touya is looking after OC, not because he was told, but because he wants to.

Note time!

(1) And it be back! Of course, Cheren and OC wouldn't be a successful couple since I wouldn't allow it and because I love shipping Cheren with Bel. Those two were made for each other… OC acts more like a sibling at the most. As for that marriage thing, just so I can clear things up, I'm going to base the marriage requirements off of one of Japan's requirements.

**A p****erson who is under 20 years of age cannot get married without a parent's approval.**

Another requirement is this: **The male partner must be 18 years of age or older and the female partner must be 16 years of age or older.**

Of course, I'm tweaking that second requirement so that both partners have to be seventeen years of age or older…because that is the age of consent in Unova and the other regions. FYI, age of consent in Japan is thirteen, which explains a lot of things in anime and manga. Though, that is one thing I rather not follow that is from Japan, so seventeen years of age it is! Of course, remember that seventeen is the minimum and it still requires parental consent.

(2) Yeah, it's all up to you guys to decide just what the hell this is. All I know is that it involved mouth-to-mouth contact and both got bitten. Touya and OC would rather not talk about it since everyone saw and it was rather embarrassing. I mean really, it is a rather embarrassing way to be bitten, especially with the given location.

And that ends chapter fourteen! Stay tune for chapter fifteen in which there shall be yukata shopping and OC (and Iris) are involved. Hopefully, I don't take too long with the next chapter, but with high school graduation approaching within a few months…it's gonna take a while. Hope you guys had a happy new year! Welcome to 2013, the year I graduate and I believe as of 12-24-12, I have been a member of this site for four years already! My how time sure flies. Well, till next time, **KD** out! XD


	15. My Friend Tetsu

Remember how I said that maybe yukata shopping couldn't be that bad? Well, it wasn't… This, on the other hand, is horrible. Bel forced me to wear that pink camisole and because of its design, I could wear it _alone_. My shoulders felt exposed—_I_ felt exposed. I was wearing shorts and a camisole. I'm used to exposing my legs at this point because of the dresses, but the camisole just made it worse for me…I'm not used to this. You know how I'm always going on that my chest exists?

Well, I kinda don't want it to exist right now!

"Please let me wear a shirt over this…" I refuse to come out of this bathroom...

"No." Bel was firm with her answer. "Now come out, we have only a few hours to do this."

I slumped against the door and groaned. There was no way I was going to win this battle…and so I exited the bathroom, begrudgingly. Bel looked me over once and nodded her head firmly. It helped that my hair was already in a braid, so it wasn't that much of a mess and Bel allowed me to use my baseball cap, so I was good.

I was finally using the Trainer belt Touya got me. It's nice using pockets and everything, but after realizing just how useful the belt is, I decided to stick with it. I picked a Poké ball and released the Pokémon inside. It was Kairi, so I was happy because I sort of ignored her yesterday for Natsuki. Anyways, bonding time!

"All right, Kairi, I am about ready to experience something that I know I won't enjoy, so I need you as my support!" I exclaimed as I picked up my little otter thing. "Now away we go!"

I was about to walk out the door when I encountered Touya and Cheren taking out the trash. The two pretty much did a double-take when they saw me looking like a girl. I mean, the waitress outfit is one thing, but that camisole…I am _so_ not wearing this again. I'll give it to Misato or Chiharu, I just want it gone.

…

…

I narrowed my eyes at the pink yukata Bel held up. It was decorated with sakura petals, but I'm not a fan of the sakura petal print. I looked at Kairi and she shook her head. Okay, it was official, I don't want it.

"At least try it on…" Bel insisted.

"No." I refuse to wear such an overused design. I want variety—ooh! That green one looks cute.

"No," Bel said firmly. "My yukata is green. You need to wear a different color."

Dammit… "What about purple?"

Bel pointed at Iris, who had just walked out of one of the changing rooms. She was wearing a lovely purple yukata with bellflower prints and a light, pink obi. I stared at Iris's yukata…I wanted it…dammit! Why did Iris have to get to it first?! I'm sad, now…

"Can I get a red one?" At least red never fails me…

"My yukata is red," Touko answered.

Damn…why can't I find a color right for me?

"Pink seems to suit you the best," Bel remarked. "Why not try a rose colored yukata? You know you want it…"

I looked at Bel and resisted the urge to grab the rose-colored yukata in her possession. I liked it, actually, but I rather not give her any satisfaction at the moment. She denied me of certain colors…

"Look, the reason why I'm picky with you is that I want a yukata that suits you," Bel explained. "You have a nice complexion, so I have a few color recommendations. Emerald green would suit you, but I'm wearing green already. You can only wear certain shades of red and light purple would suit you, but again, those are taken. That's why I'm suggesting pink. I'm looking for a shade you like."

I looked at Bel. That was rather…endearing of her. This is why I love Bel. She always knows what to say and it's the reason I can never stay mad at her.

"Okay, I'll try it on…" While I like the color, I just want something different…but I rather humor Bel. "C'mon, Kairi, I need your opinion."

…

…

I made a face as I just remembered how difficult it was to put on a yukata. Thinking of it now, Professor Juniper had always helped me out with my yukata during the Nuvema Town festivals. My eye twitched as I felt the collar around my neck. That's right, I had almost forgotten about this…meh.

"Bel, I need help!" I called out.

I immediately regretted saying that as Bel barged into the changing room. She was very pushy as she helped me get into the yukata. Kairi just watched out of curiosity.

"Heeeey…did you lose weight?" Bel said in a rather amused tone.

My eyes widened as I felt Bel feel around my stomach. "Bel!"

"Aha~! Someone _did_ lose weight!" Bel was waaay too amused for my comfort. "It's nice to see that you're slimming down…"

My left eye twitched. All that running I have done and throwing up had actually taken into affect. I looked at myself in the mirror and noticed that I indeed looked slimmer. It's weird… I didn't think that the results would be this fast. I mean, I didn't really slim down a lot, just enough for me to notice it, though barely. Only Bel would find it very drastic because she has a tendency to force me into many outfits. She pretty much memorized my three measurements.

"I guess that means we have to re-measure you~!" Bel said in a sing-song voice.

I paled. Please, no…

…

…

"You lost about a full inch around the waist…" Bel said after measuring me with the measuring tape. "Congrats!"

I feel…violated…

"Now let's get that yukata on!" Bel chirped.

A few minutes later, the yukata was on. The obi was yellow, so paired up with the rose-colored yukata, I looked like…

"A rose!" Bel exclaimed. "You look like a rose!"

Hmm….I turned to Kairi and asked, "What do you think?"

Kairi took one look and exited the changing room. I blinked and followed her out. I found her looking at some yukata, varying in shades of blue. She took an interest in an azure-blue yukata and I found myself unable to refuse.

After trying it on, I found myself liking this yukata…and so this was the yukata I bought. Bel didn't mind, since she approved of it. I'm glad…and I'm very happy that Kairi helped me out. Now it was time to go back to the café! At least the pay is good…

Otherwise, I would have quit because of the uniform—oh, geez, Misato and Chiharu, no! Wait, Bel wants to tag along? No! Touko, help me!

"I'm staying out of this one," Touko said as she entered the women's changing room.

Traitor!

…

…

And today's hairstyle is—pigtails. They're not braided, but I have fricken' Kagami hair…I am not a tsundere! If Cheren was a girl or had longer hair, this was the sort of style that would have suited him very well. Yeah, thinking of it now, it would be a good style for him…

Okay, that's enough of that image. It's opening time—whoa, that's a lot of male customers. Well, there weren't a lot of them, but not enough to outnumber the female customers, whose number seems to be increasing. There was, however, definitely more than before. Welp, better go to the bosses and see what my job is today!

…

"You'll be taking orders," Corn said.

I stared at Corn. "What?"

Pod grinned and placed his hand on my shoulder. "You heard him!"

"B-But I suck at taking orders!" I sputtered. "I have a short attention span! You should have Cheren do that! He's good at doing that…please just put me at the register with N or make me wait tables! Just don't put me in that position, I'm begging you! Don't make me get on my knees…"

"Aha…I guess we should make her wait tables…" Dento said with an awkward laugh. "I'll have Touya take orders."

"By the way, how are you two putting up?" Pod asked before grinning. "Are you two, you know…"

I scowled at Pod. "You are lucky that you are my boss, otherwise…urgh…"

Corn sighed and lightly bonked Pod on the head. "Behave yourself, child."

Pod pouted as he rubbed his head. "Hmm…"

"I have some ointment if you need any for your lip," Dento suggested.

I said nothing and just left the room. I am never going to live this down… Well, time to wait tables. I better not get any requests for numbers…

…

…

About an hour had passed and I was pretty much clueless as to what to do for my lunch break. I was not hungry, thank you very much, ADHD medicine. Sometimes I hate you. I have about an hour, so I decided to go take a look around Striaton City, with Ivy at my side. I had Natsuki and Kairi's Poké balls on me, just in case…and I am starting to appreciate this Trainer belt even more. Seeing as I'm still new to this place, I dragged Pod with me. I was going to take N, but I wanted to bother Pod. He has been picking on me…

"What is it that you want to see?" Pod asked me. "Anything specific?"

"Huh…maybe a bookstore or—hey, are there any game stores in Striaton City?" I have been itching to get a new game for my consoles…

"Oh, so you're a gamer?" Pod sounded amused. "Do you play any fighting games?"

"Depends on which one you're talking about," I replied. "Why, are you a gamer?"

Pod grinned widely as his Pansear did the game. "You betcha!"

I took one look at Pod and sighed. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Because you know me well…seriously, you somehow do," Pod explained.

"You're not that hard to read." Pod's like an open book…

"This coming from Miss Predictability," Pod remarked.

"Touché…" He got me there.

…

…

"Uh, we have about fifteen minutes before our break is over," Pod pestered me as I looked over used PSP games. Usually, I buy new games, but when I see a bargain, I'll take it. Ooh, Final _Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection_ is looking good to me, so I think I'll take this one if I can't find anything else. Huh, _Persona 3 Portable_…I've heard of this game before, but I definitely never played any of the _Persona_ series. Maybe I should start now and I heard it was a good game. Okay, _Persona 3 Portable_, you are **mine**. (1)

"You want me to help you buy that game?" Pod asked me.

I looked at him and then at the game. "What are you talking about—hello M rating, didn't see you there before."

"I'll take that as a 'yes'…give me the game," Pod said and before I could even give him the game, he just grabbed it out of my hands. "I'll just take this out of your pay."

Sounds reasonable to me, so I'm good…I wonder what the game is all about. I cannot wait to break it in!

…

…

"Lunch break is over for you!" Pod loudly exclaimed after we entered the café.

I narrowed my eyes. "Damn, there goes my plan of playing this game."

"And until you show good process, I shall keep this game in my possession," Pod added. "Because I bought it with my money…now show me you deserve this game!"

"Damn you, Pod!" I exclaimed. "I hope you go fall in a pit."

Pod grinned. "Love ya too."

I muttered under my breath and went to go take my position. Ivy was on my shoulder and she will be helping me with waiting tables. How else did you think I've gone without having any accidents? Ivy's vine whip prevented them!

Okay, so table two ordered curry—okay, now I'm regretting not eating lunch. This looks tasty, so I better not mess it up. Okay, almost there—shit!

"Dammit, Ivy, you're supposed to prevent this—bah!"

THUD!

Ow…my forehead…it better not bleeding, I just had those bandages put on and that antiseptic hurt like a _bitch_.

"Oh my god, are you okay?!" Why thank you, kind person, for caring about my wellbeing. I shall answer once I get my face off the floor.

I lifted my face off the floor and noticed that Ivy did do her job. She prevented the tray from crashing onto the floor, so the food is okay! "Yeah, I think I'm okay—is my forehead bleeding?"

I found myself staring at a green-haired young man with emerald green eyes. He had a small mole just under the right side of his mouth. He was wearing a black hat with a green brim and seemed to be seventeen years old at the most. He looked like a pretty boy and I have to admit, he's cute-looking—please tell me I'm not blushing.

Bleh, I feel like a girl for once and that makes me feel unclean because it's about a boy. It's not that it's bad or anything, I just actually feel awkward for once and I HATE feeling awkward! It's just so...weird. Welp, at least I have a videogame to break in today, if I'm lucky.

"Ah, you're bleeding—and your lip!" And back to current events. "I'll go ask for a first-aid kit!"

Yes, what a nice— "Wait, stop, don't!"

But the young man didn't seem to hear me and dashed off, leaving me alone with Ivy and this tray occupied with a curry dish. Huh…please tell this won't get me in trouble…

A few moments later, I found myself being treated by the young man— "Why are you doing this?"

"Because you had my order, so I feel responsible," he replied. "Now this is gonna sting."

I bit my lip and suppressed a yelp as the young man swabbed my forehead. I hate antiseptic…

"Not to be rude, but what exactly happened to your forehead?" the young man asked. "I mean, you're wearing bandages…"

"Oh, I just bumped my head against a tree…" Numerous times in hopes of suppressing a memory that won't go away…damn you, contraceptive! Why does Touya even HAVE them in his bag?! "Yesterday, I wasn't paying attention and ran into a brick wall…and before that, I hit my head against the wall…I'm looking at you, Cheren!"

I point at Cheren, who was at the register with N. He looked at me, adjusted his glasses, and just ignored me afterwards. I narrowed my eyes. "Prick…"

"You're a very interesting girl, Deko," the young man remarked. (2)

I blinked. "Forehead? Are you mocking me for my wound? If so, I am insulted! Well, not really, I just wanted to say that…still, 'forehead'? Really?"

The young man laughed as he started wrapping bandages around my head. "It's just a nickname…don't get mad."

I stuck my tongue out at him. "So, anyways…I never got your name."

The young man froze. "Y-You mean…you don't know me?"

"Am I supposed to?" If so, crap…

The young man shook his head vigorously. "N-No, it's nothing, just…my name is Te—tsu…"

"Tetsu?" I repeated.

He nodded. "It's Tetsu…and there we go."

I blinked as I noticed that Tetsu had finished bandaging my forehead…yay. "Hopefully, it heals this time."

"Same here…Deko," Tetsu said, smiling afterwards. He laughed when I stuck my tongue at him. "And I was about to tip you."

"Oh, c'mon, how was I supposed to know that?" I have to admit, Tetsu is very likable… "You know, I like you…so, tell me about yourself."

"I…like fishing," Tetsu replied. "But I also like music!"

I smiled. "Really? I like music, too…we have so much in common!"

"But that was only one thing…" Tetsu looked nervous.

I laughed. "Don't mind me, I'm just like that… You'll get used to me."

"Unfortunately," Cheren said as he passed by.

Oh, was he eavesdropping on us?! Oh, hell no…hell no! "Go to hell, prick!"

"Already there," he remarked. "By the way, aren't you forgetting about something?"

…

…

"Crap, your food!" I exclaimed. "Sorry, Tetsu, I—thank you, Ivy. You are such a sweetie…"

Ivy nodded as she placed the plate of curry in front of Tetsu. "Sni!"

"Thank you," Tetsu said before digging into his food. "So…are you a Trainer?"

I nodded my head. "Yeah, but not by choice…"

Tetsu looked perplexed. "Hm?"

"I got kicked out of my house with nothing but a backpack on my back and my Starter Pokémon, Kairi," I explained. "It's pretty much my incentive to go on a journey and do something with my life. I've gotten over it by now because I have Ivy, Kairi, and Natsuki."

Tetsu nodded. "What kind of Pokémon is Kairi?"

"Kairi's an Oshawott, specifically, the spawn of my brother-in-law's Samurott," I explained.

"So where did you get Ivy?" Tetsu asked as he eyed my Snivy.

I grinned. "I won her in a battle against my friend, Touya. It's all right, though…he doesn't like her because she bit his hand. Ain't that right, my little badass reptile?"

Ivy nodded her head. "Sni!"

"And Natsuki is a Pansear that chose me to be her Trainer," I continued. "She was abandoned, but she seems all right with me—I probably need to get her gendered so I can get a full confirmation on her being female or not. Seriously, I just flipped a coin because I needed a pronoun…but aside from that, Natsuki isn't lonely!"

"That's good to hear," Tetsu said, looking relieved. "Lately, a lot of people have been releasing their Pokémon."

Wait, what? This is news to me! "Why?!"

"Have you heard about Ghetsis and Team Plasma?" I made a face that Tetsu noticed. "What's wrong?"

One explanation later,

"So you're the girl who I've been hearing about from my colleague!" Tetsu exclaimed.

Nah, crap… Please tell me I didn't earn myself publicity from that stunt…because if I did, then I am _so_ going to be hearing it from the family… And if word gets out about my background—shit, I never realized I was in that sort of position. Then again, not a lot of people are aware of my existence outside of Nuvema Town and my siblings' colleagues. So I guess that means I'm safe…sort of…yay.

"You're rather famous around where I work," Tetsu continued. "I mean, it takes a lot of courage to speak up like that. I admire that."

Resist urge to blush, resist urge to blush—dammit, I'm blushing! "Aagh!" (3)

"Sni?" Ivy looked concerned.

"It's all right, Ivy, I'm just dealing with issues right now…think of it as a side-effect of wearing this damn uniform." I still hate the frills. "Anyways, enough about me, what about you, Tetsu? Are you a Trainer?"

Tetsu rubbed the back of his head. "I guess you can say that…"

"So…what's your Pokémon?" I looked eagerly at Tetsu. "You have one, right?"

Tetsu nodded and pulled out a Poké ball. "Yeah, come on out, Reid."

And out of the Poké ball came out a…Magikarp? "Well, you did say you like fishing…but Magikarp isn't a Unova native Pokémon…"

"My job requires me to go outside of Unova at times," Tetsu explained. "I have already visited the Viridian Forest in Kanto, the Lake of Rage in Johto, Meteor Falls in Hoenn, and the Eterna Forest in Sinnoh.

Last time I got out of Unova was when I was fourteen and the last place I visited was the Battle Frontier in Sinnoh…yeah, my third oldest brother actually took up the open position in the Battle Castle when I was twelve. I had visited each of the locations Tetsu had listed and let me just say, _never_ again for the Eterna Forest! Fuck you, third oldest brother!

He locked me in that abandoned mansion…oh god, _nightmares_!

"Aagh…" I clutched my head.

Tetsu blinked. "Are you okay?"

"I'm just having rather…_traumatic_ flashbacks involving the mansion in the Eterna Forest…" I answered, practically shuddering. "I think I just found my reason for losing interest in becoming a Trainer…that or I just now have a deep fear of abandoned buildings."

"So you travel a lot, too…" Tetsu smiled.

I nodded my head. "Yeah, but mostly because of my siblings...by the way, is your Magikarp gonna keep on flopping?"

Tetsu sighed and poked the flopping Magikarp. "That's enough of that, Reid."

Magikarp's eyes glowed blue and suddenly, it jumped up into the air. It spun around a few times and glowed pink before suddenly, the Magikarp wasn't a Magikarp anymore. It was a Zorua and it was laughing mischievously.

I scowled at Zorua. "Oh, haha, shut up."

"Eheh…please don't mind Reid," Tetsu said sheepishly. "He does this to everyone he meets…"

"Really?" I looked closely at Zorua and earned a lick to the nose. "Kiss-up."

"Now that…yeah, I think Reid has taken a liking to you," Tetsu remarked. "Which is strange, he doesn't get along with strangers that easily."

At that moment, Reid pulled a transformation and took on Tetsu's form. Let me explain the thing about Zorua and its evolutionary line. They have the ability to use illusions to change their forms. It's usually used as a defense mechanism, but it is not uncommon for them to use illusions out of mischief or in the case of that Zoroark—okay, change of subject because I just remembered Tornadus.

"What about this?" I asked as I looked over Reid, who looked more like Tetsu at the moment. "That's a rather impressive illusion for a Zorua."

Tetsu smiled as he flicked Reid on the forehead and caught the Zorua in his arms after the illusion dispelled. "You know a lot about Zorua…and thank you."

"My brother-in-law has a Zoroark, speaking of which, that Zoroark happens to be Kairi's daddy." I wonder what Father's Day gift would be appropriate for the Zoroark…anyways, moving on. "And you're welcome!"

Suddenly, a ringing sound interrupted us. I checked my left wrist for my X-Transceiver, but then I realized that I still haven't gotten mine back. I looked at Tetsu and noticed that it was his X-Transceiver that was ringing. He looked at it and immediately paled.

"Crap, it's my colleague!" he exclaimed. He finished the last of his curry and stood up, slamming a few Pokédollars onto the table. He turned to me and bowed. "It was nice meeting you, Deko. I'd really love to stay and talk a bit more, but I have to go. Your tip is on the table."

"But I didn't do anything special…" Aside from talking, I did nothing…except, almost ruining your food.

"I had a good time because of you," he explained. "And I really don't want to leave, but I have a job to do. I hope to see you around, so goodbye for now."

And with that, Tetsu left the café after paying at the register. I'm gonna miss the guy—dammit, I should have gotten his number! Oh well, now I know what to do the next time I bump into him and I have high hopes of doing so. Wait, I never told him my name…well, I think, "Deko", will do for now.

Welp, time to get back to work, but first, I need to get my tip. Let's see how much I got—two-thousand Pokédollars as a tip?! MINE…and now I have another thing I forgot to do. I forgot to thank Tetsu. Well, to the list of things I'm going to do when I meet Tetsu you go!

…

"Uh, Ivy, how long were those chicks staring at me?" I just noticed that I was being stared at quite intensively by a bunch of…jealous-looking ladies. Again, I admit Tetsu was cute, but _damn_…I didn't think he was _that_ cute.

"Sni…" was Ivy's response.

The whole entire time he had been talking to me?! Including the part where he bandaged my wounds? Okay, now I feel awkward…to the lounge room!

…

…

"And that's why I want to wash the dishes…" For once in my entire life, I am actually ASKING to wash the dishes. It's sure going to dry hands up a lot, but after that incident involving me feeling the intense wrath of a thousand moons in the form of glares from jealous ladies, I think I'm done waiting tables for the day. "Please don't dock my pay…"

The triplets looked at each other and then back at me. Pod started laughing, with Dento chuckling and Corn just smiling. Okay, I'm clueless…

"You made the customer have a good time," Dento explained. "We should be rewarding you for that."

"Even if you did sort of screw up," Pod said bluntly. "But the customer comes first…you'll get your game today."

I blinked a few times and pumped my fist into the air. "Sweet!"

Corn and Dento look at Pod, who shrugged and explained, "I helped her buy a game because of the rating and I used my own money. I was planning on giving it to her when she earned it and she did."

Tetsu…I owe you big time. I really need to find him so I can thank him. "So…can I wash the dishes? I really don't want to go back out there…"

"You can help Touya wash the dishes," Corn replied.

My left eye twitched. Great, help Touya…eh, fuck it. It's better than waiting tables with jealous girls who might trip me.

"Now get to it…Deko," Pod said, grinning afterwards.

I scowled at Pod. "Hey, only Tetsu can call me that!"

…

…

Okay, Touya and I washing dishes? Extremely awkward…the tension? Extremely high…the only reason I could stand this was because of Kairi. Oh, Kairi, you're the best support I could ever ask for. You also rinse dishes very well…

"So who was that guy?" Touya suddenly asked me.

My left eye twitched. "Who are you, my mom?"

My dad isn't the typical overprotective father…that would be my mother taking over. My dad has gotten used to me getting along rather well with the boys. He will not pay attention unless I speak of dating, which I have no interest in because the forever alone life is the way to go...as lonesome as it is. My mother, on the other hand, is wary of me hanging out with the boys and that might be because she paid a lot of attention to me since my birth.

There is a near thirteen-year age gap between the fourth child, my third oldest brother, and me. The reason for that was because I was the result of a surprise, unplanned pregnancy. And when my mother found out I was female, she was ecstatic. She only had one daughter until I came along. And this pretty much is the reason why I hate nearly all things relatively feminine…because when I was born; my mom went Operation: Mother-Daughter on me. She got me dolls, dresses, pink, dresses, pink, did my hair, and more pink. I'm just glad my mother has finally let me choose my own clothing… Otherwise, I'd still be wearing some of my brothers' old clothing.

Touya handed me another sudsy plate to rinse and dry. "Just asking, no need to get so defensive."

"He's a friend who gave me a very nice tip…" I replied as I had Kairi use a weak version of Water Gun on the plate. "I wonder if I'll get to meet him again…"

Touya looked at me. "You have to introduce him to me."

I made a face. "Why?"

"Because I need to know who he is," Touya explained. "Remember, you are my responsibility…and no matter where you go, I will know where you are."

"Thanks for bringing that up…" Now that collar around my neck suddenly feels heavy. "Why are we friends?"

"Because I put up with you on a daily basis when I could just leave you." Dammit, why does he have to be right? "Now be a good girl, and rinse this plate. You know, I could be making you help me wash the dishes, but I know how much you hate that. That's why I'm having you just rinse and dry them."

I stared at Touya and took the sudsy plate from him. I stayed quiet as I had Kairi rinse the plate and it was only until I had finished drying the plate that I muttered a nearly incoherent, "Thank you…"

Touya blinked and smiled. "You're welcome."

There are times I hate Touya and times I don't. This is one of those times and this is the very reason why I'm even friends with Touya and why I consider him the sibling who _did_ grow up with me. I don't think I could ever really hate Touya, dislike, yes, but hate? I don't think so.

"So I heard you got a yukata…" Touya began.

_Splash!_

Touya glared at me after I splashed soapy water on him. "Is that's the way you're going to act, take that!"

I used the plate to block the splash of water that Touya tried to splash on me. I stuck my tongue out at him. "Have at you."

And for the first time in quite a long time since I got kicked out of my house, I actually had fun with Touya. We weren't fighting or cursing at each other. We were actually acting like kids…and it felt glorious to dump soapy water on Touya.

…

…

* * *

><p>AN End of chapter.

Holy shit, I updated fast…yeah, don't always expect this from me. Remember, this is my break-time story. Anyways, a new character appears: Tetsu! Yeah, he's not an OC, nope…he is an actual character, but you have to figure it out yourselves. I want to see who can pay attention to detail.

Now we finally find out a little bit more about OC. That part involving her being locked in the mansion was just something that came into mind that I quickly found an explanation for and expect that fear of abandoned buildings to come up soon. Also, OC and Touya seemed to have reconciled with each other.

Note time!

(1) This game, here, is the main reason I was distracted for quite a while…them social links…oh, them social links. I love this game so much…and I want a PSP Vita so I can play _Persona 4 Golden_. From here on out, expect me to make references because I LOVE _Persona 3 Portable_.

(2) **ChibiFoxAI** is the main reason for this. She suggested it and I took it. What would I do without her! Nothing, that's what! DX She is a godsend…so thank you, very much, Chibi! ^^

(3) What is this? Do I see OC acting like an actual girl?! Gasp! Yeah, you guys have to remember that OC is a girl. I'm surprised I was able to do this, but of course, I have practice because of _Persona 3 Portable_ for making me _feel_ like such a girl at times. Those social links…that is all.

So anyways, favorite, subscribe, or review, whatever. Just I don't appreciate flames, but I do very much appreciate constructive criticism. It helps, ya know. So until next time, KD out! XD


	16. Summer Festival Woes

This is it…today is the day…the day that will allow me to finally get my first Gym Badge—well, after today. Right now, I am currently waiting tables with less jealous ladies. Dear Arceus, yesterday was awkward. Though, what was funny is that I encountered a similar scenario within _Persona 3 Portable_. I blame Akihiko for that. Making me go all Queen Bee pretty in Charm in order to walk with him...

I just about had another encounter with a couple of guys who were hitting on me when they got a better look at my face, god knows why, but again, I blame this damn uniform...and my hair. Seriously, if I looked normal, they wouldn't bother... Wait a second, I know one of those guys! I remembered that bastard well! He's the one Cheren and N has serious words with because he grabbed my— "Why, hello, Touya! Would you care to help these gentlemen out with their orders? I do believe that's Corn calling me to deliver an order."

"With pleasure," Touya replied before gently pushing me away from the guys.

I walked away, looking at Natsuki, who was on my shoulder. She looked miffed and I wouldn't blame her. Why the fuck is that guy persistent on getting my number?! Seriously, first Touko, now me? Why the sudden switch? At least Touko's not a target anymore...

…

"Hey Corn, if I encounter some guys hitting on me, can I have permission to attack them?" I am sick of getting hit on. It's only because I look like this that they even bother…damn uniform.

Corn looked blankly at me. "Is it that guy who Cheren and N told me about who tried hitting on Touko and grabbed your wrist and suddenly turned to hitting on you?"

"The exact same!" I replied. "So can I?"

Corn sighed. "Sure. Let it be said that he hasn't been warned already, so he can't exactly sue us."

At that moment, Chiharu popped her head out the kitchen door. "It's even in the disclaimer that we are not held responsible for Pokémon attacks and therefore, people are to enter this café with discretion. This café _is_ a Gym."

I blinked. "There's a disclaimer?!"

Misato popped her head over Chiharu and held out her hand with a paper. "Didn't you bother reading the fine print in your job application?"

I made a face at Misato and turned to Corn. Corn sighed and shook his head. "We had to deal with some rather unfortunate girls who are no longer allowed in this café."

"Those bitches cost me my ponytail…" Misato said with gleaming eyes.

I could see why Misato paid so much attention to my hair, now. She envied me…but that also brought up a question. What did those girls do to Misato? More importantly, what happened to her hair to make it short?

"Now, now, Misato, we don't speak of that incident," Corn said. "Speaking of which, your hair is definitely recovering rather well. Did you get a trim?"

Misato blinked and smiled. "Why thank you for noticing!"

"So…are you going to the festival tonight?" Chiharu asked.

I made a face. "I have to…Bel has plans…and thanks to this tracker, she could just go to Touya to track me down. She'll be fixing my hair."

Misato frowned. "Aww, I wanted to do your hair…oh well. Chiharu, get your hair extensions ready."

Chiharu mock saluted Misato. "Aye, aye!"

The two girls then retreated back into the kitchen, leaving me with Corn. Corn looked down at me. "So what color is your yukata?"

"Blue…like your hair," I replied.

Corn blinked a few times and nodded. "I see…Corn approves."

"And Pod doesn't!" Pod said as he suddenly appeared out of nowhere. "What's wrong with red?"

"Aside from it being your hair and eye color, Bel barred me from certain colors because she's wearing green, Touko is wearing red, and Iris is wearing purple…" At least my yukata is cute. "Also, I was joking, so don't take that part aimed against you too seriously."

"I won't…so I noticed it's your lunch break right now and I have my Wii hooked into the TV, so would you like to play some _Brawl_ with me?" Pod asked as he looked at me.

I stared at Pod. "…I call Samus!"

…

…

I don't know how long we were at it, but Pod and I were now playing _BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger_. I was playing as Taokaka, this crazy cat girl…I need to buy this game for myself.

"Hey, aren't I supposed to be working?" I just noticed that it has been more than an hour.

"Touya requested that you were to not be waiting tables anymore," Pod explained as he continued to kick my ass with Ragna the Bloodedge. I have never played this game before, so I have an excuse as to why I'm getting my ass kicked.

"Is my pay going to get docked for this?" I asked as I glared at a defeated Taokaka.

"Nope," Pod simply said. "We're closing the café early anyways, and after hearing from Touya, I rather not have that guy on your case."

"But I have Natsuki!" As if on cue, Natsuki climbed on top of my head and said, "Oop!"

Pod looked at Natsuki and then at Akemi, who was on his shoulder. "Attract."

Moments later after Natsuki got engulfed in a small barrage of pink hearts, Natsuki fell into my lap and I literally saw her eyes turn into pink hearts.

"The fuck did you do to my monkey?!" I dropped the controller and picked up Natsuki. "Natsuki, speak to me!"

"Oop…" she said weakly.

"Yeaaaah…Natsuki is male," Pod said as he looked over my shoulder. "I had a feeling that was the case."

I blinked a few times and looked at my monkey. "Qué?!" (1)

My monkey is a Bridget?!

…

…

Well, then again, I never _did_ confirm Natsuki's gender since I _did_ flip a coin. So I guess I just had a Bridget dropped on me. Heh, first male in the team… "How do I snap him out of this state?"

"I'll go get the mental herb," Pod said as he stood up.

I guess it was a good thing that I gave my fire monkey a gender neutral name…though, I guess I shouldn't have gotten to used to the thought that he might have been female. Whatever, I'm learning.

"Damn, there goes Team Amazon…" I just realized that. Damn, I'm slow.

Sometime later after curing Natsuki of his infatuation, Pod and I went back to fighting each other and he was still kicking my ass at _BlazBlue_. However, at this moment, I turned the tables and I was just about to win, when suddenly Bel barged into the room and dragged me out by the back of my uniform.

"Hey, I was going to win!" I whined.

"Get ready, we're going to the public baths!" Bel said in her usually cheery voice.

My eyes widened. "No…anything but that!"

"Iris and Touko already left, so we have to go now," Bel continued on, obviously ignoring me. "I'll even wash your hair for you."

"…Just don't get shampoo in my eyes…" After sixteen years of knowing Bel, I should be used to this…why am I not? Why?!

…

…

"Uh, Bel…? Bel…I think my hair has had enough…" I said shyly as I looked down at the empty bucket under the faucet. I shouldn't be nervous. I mean, we're both girls…maybe I'm just feeling self-conscious because I am aware just how much I lack in a certain department in comparison to Bel—mine _exist_!

Great, now I feel self-conscious. "Ugh…"

"Now close your eyes!" Bel suddenly said as she reached over and turned on the faucet. Water poured out and filled the bucket. I stared at the now full bucket and closed my eyes.

I do not want shampoo getting in my eye… I held my breath as I felt water pour over my head. My forehead started throbbing, but I ignored it. It was just the water…just be glad it's not shampoo.

"Heeeey…somebody got smaller here!" Bel suddenly exclaimed.

My eyes widened as my worst nightmare came true. "B-Bel, no, stop—gyagh!"

…

…

My face was burning red. I said nothing as I sat in the changing room, wearing nothing but a towel to cover myself as Bel blow-dried my hair. Bel was acting in her usual happy-go-lucky manner, humming to herself. She was unaware of how much embarrassment she had caused me.

I would say something, but this is Bel…I just couldn't. I sighed and turned my attention to Iris and Touko. Touko was helping Iris with her hair. I wonder how Iris manages with all that hair…

I blinked as I started feeling a brush go through my hair. A few seconds had passed before I let out a content sigh. I don't know why, but the way Bel brushes my hair always makes me feel at ease…

I couldn't stay mad at Bel—was I even mad at her for what she did to me? I don't think so. Bel is just someone I could never get mad at, no matter how much I try. She's just so loveable…unlike Cheren, who is like a foil to Bel in my eyes. You know, I guess I should just enjoy the little moments I have with Bel. We do have our similarities, but she's much stronger than I am.

Hmm, I wonder… "Bel, do you miss home?"

Bel stopped humming, but continued to brush my hair. "Hmm…a little, but I don't let it bother me…what about you?"

I blinked and looked down. "I really don't know…"

I miss home, but at the same time, I don't. I have ambivalent feelings about it. I really don't know what to say…

"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it…" Bel reassured. "When you figure it out, tell me. I'll be there for you…"

Dammit, Bel, you're going to make me cry… "Thank you…"

"You're welcome…" she replied.

Bel…I envy you. For being stronger than I am, I envy you…

…

…

An hour had passed since then and I was already dressed in my yukata. It was azure blue with dark blue morning-glory prints. The obi was a golden yellow color and it was wrapped snugly around my waist. Bel was tying my hair into a low ponytail after straightening it.

She was now wearing her yukata and she looked adorable. Her yukata was a spring green color decorated with small, pink flower prints. She had a light pink obi tied around her waist. She looked childish with those green bobbles she tied in her short, blonde hair, but it suited her.

Iris didn't look any different from before, aside from the fact that she was wearing a yukata. Her hair was still the same and she still wore those yellow clips. Still, I honestly can't picture her with a different hairstyle. I still want her yukata…

Touko looked very pretty in her yukata. It was a deep red color with camellia and butterfly prints. Her obi was black and her hair was in its usual fluffy ponytail, minus the cap. Out of all of us, Touko looked the most mature.

"And done!" Bel suddenly exclaimed. "My, don't you look pretty!"

I looked at the mirror that Bel held up for me. I looked different—collar… My left eye twitched as I looked at the collar. It was white and looked more like a necklace, which it was anything but. Fricken' tracker…I bet that Touya is just waiting for me to come out. I sighed and picked up Kairi off the floor.

…

I walked out of the building and sure enough, there was Touya. I blinked a few times as I realized he was also wearing a yukata. Its coloration matched his jacket and his obi was black colored. I looked back at Touko and then at Touya. Holy Celebi, it's as if I'm seeing double…oh right, twins. Dur…

N and Cheren were with Touya and I'm just going to point out that there was absolutely no variety in their yukata colors. They all wore varying shades of blue, but Cheren and Touya wear blue and light blue suits N. At least their obi were different colors…N had a black and white obi and Cheren had a red obi.

I noticed they were staring at me. It was like me wearing the camisole all over again… Before I could say anything, Bel ran past me and latched onto Cheren.

"C'mon, Cheren!" she said. "I'm going to show you that I can finally do an A-rank carving in Katanuki."

Cheren blinked and smiled. "Very well."

Bel laughed as she and Cheren walked away from us. I stared at the two, trying to process what I had just seen. Those two…just paired up together… (2)

I smiled. "I'm happy."

Iris looked at me strangely and sighed. "I'm just going to go off by myself. I want to get some taiyaki."

Ryuu the Axew popped his head out of Iris's hair. "Axew!"

"Hey, wait up!" I want some taiyaki, too! "Agh!"

Touya grabbed onto my arm and pulled me closer to him. "You're coming with me."

"Dude, not cool!" I glared at Touya.

_Splash!_

Touya stared blankly at me as his face dripped with water from Kairi's Water Gun. I blinked a few times and looked at Kairi.

"No, bad Kairi!" I said sternly to Kairi. "We don't Water Gun Touya…no matter how much we want to…"

Kairi nodded. "Osha!"

"What was that last part?" Touya eyed me suspiciously.

I laughed awkwardly. "Oh nothing…where's Ganon?"

Touya pointed downwards. "Right in front of you."

I looked down and just noticed the little fire pig. Ganon looked up at me and smiled.

"Te!" he said.

"Oh, so you did bring him along…" I almost thought he was going to bring his Trubbish. "Have you named your Trubbish yet?"

"Still thinking of one," Touya replied. "By the way, thank you…That's the second Pokémon you have gotten me."

I'm just glad Trubbish has a Trainer. "I almost caught him, but then I remembered you. By the way, Natsuki is a guy."

Touya blinked. "How did you find out?"

"Pod had Akemi use Attract on Natsuki." I still think that was mean. "I got a Bridget dropped on me…can we go get some taiyaki?"

"Fine," Touya sighed. "Let's go."

…

…

I bit into my Alomomola-shaped taiyaki. I shared some with Kairi, wondering if she liked taiyaki. I hope she likes red bean paste—and she does. Sweet… "Why are you staring at me, Touya?"

Touya blinked and shook his head. "You just look…different."

Why thank you, Captain Obvious. I didn't notice that myself—no shit. "I'm wearing an effing yukata, for Arceus's sake!"

"I mean, it's just…you look like an actual girl," Touya explained. "It's _weird_…"

I huffed. "Tell me about it. I've been wearing nothing but a fricken' dress because uniform calls for it and I hate the frills."

Touya crossed his arms. "For you, it's frills, but for me, it's the bowtie."

I snorted. I cannot believe what I am hearing. "Really? A bowtie?"

"Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want," Touya said before patting me on the head. "Did you get shorter?"

I scowled at Touya. "What are you talking about? We're the same—when the hell did you get taller than me?!"

Looks like Touya had a growth spurt… He's taller than I am, but he's still shorter than Cheren. I think Touya just barely hit the five-foot mark. Still, I'm used to making direct eye contact with him. Now I have to look up a bit… (3)

"Now that I think of it, the lady running the stand thought you were my younger sister, so this does explain it…"

I stared at Touya. "Are you serious? This is depressing…"

"No, this is a plus for me…" Touya remarked.

"What was that?" Did I hear that right?

"Look, I'm worried about that guy," Touya explained. "He got a little…uncomfortable and while is now banned from the café, he might still be around. That's why I don't want you out of my sight."

…

…

"You could have told me that." Seriously, that's some crucial information there.

Touya waved it off. "Details, details…just don't leave my side...please."

"Whatever you say…big brother." That felt…weird to say.

Touya looked at me strangely. "Okay, never call me that again."

"Thank you." I don't think I could have continued calling him that.

"Just stay by my side," Touya said as he brought me closer to himself. "I'll get you chocolate-dipped banana or something after this."

I'm getting food out of this, so I'm not complaining.

…

…

I made a face as Touya clipped a hairclip into my hair. I won it as a consolation prize in a shooting game. Meh, I wanted that _Professor Layton_ game…

"You want me to win it for you?" Touya asked as he adjusted the clip.

I looked away from Touya. "Hmm…fine…"

One game later, I find myself the owner of a _Professor Layton_ game. "Why do I feel like I'm making you do stuff for me?"

"I'm just being generous," Touya said. "Now how about those chocolate-covered bananas?"

"Can we sit down, first?" Walking in these sandals are painful…especially since I haven't broken them in.

Touya sighed and shook his head. "Fine, just sit down right over there. Just make sure you stay there."

I mock-saluted Touya and walked over to the bench he directed me. It was right by the fountain. Looking around, I recognized this place. It was where N found me on the day I arrived at Striaton City. Wow, it feels so long ago and yet, a week hasn't even passed…well, a full week. Tomorrow would mark day seven.

"Almost twelve days since we first met…" I said to Kairi. "And yet, twelve days sounds so short…"

Kairi nodded her head. "Osha…"

"I'm glad that I got kicked out," I find myself saying. "I wouldn't have met you if I hadn't…or maybe I would have since you are the spawn of my brother-in-law's Samurott—say, do you miss your mother?"

Kairi said nothing and I just squeezed her gently in response. "I'm sure she misses you, too."

Kairi is still just a youngling…just like me. We're more alike than we think. We're even wearing the same color.

"Is that why you picked this yukata for me?" I asked Kairi. "Because it was blue like you?"

Kairi looked up at me. "Osha…"

I smiled. "I love you too."

…

I just noticed something. Kairi and I were alone…and it was dark… I clenched my teeth as I resisted the urge to shriek at the cold sensation I just felt. "What was that?!"

"Laaaaaammpp…"

I froze. Oh, god…please tell me… "Kairi, please tell me I'm hearing things."

"Osha-wott osha…" Goddammit, Kairi.

I gulped and slowly turned my head to the right. My eyes widened as I found myself staring at a floating black lamp with a purple flame. I tightened my hold around Kairi.

"Laaamp…" it said as it starting moving around me.

It was a Lampent, a Ghost Pokémon…Ghost Pokémon…Ghost…Pokémon…

…

…

"AAAAAAGGHHHHH!" I ran away from Lampent, screaming like a little bitch. "GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!"

Aside from developing a fear of abandoned buildings, I have also developed a fear of Ghost Pokémon. Socorro was the start of my dislike of Ghost Pokémon and potential fear of them, but the mansion in the Eterna Forest is what set it for me. So many…Ghost Pokémon…I got licked by a Haunter, scared by a Misdreavus, picked up by a Drifloon, and got tricked by a Gengar…I thought he was my shadow! Needless to say…I am afraid of Ghost Pokémon, especially Unova's Ghost Pokémon. (4)

"Laaamp!"

"I'M NOT DEAD!" I read what Lampent and its other forms are capable of doing…and they scare the crap out of me. Life-sucking Litwick? No thank you… A spirit-searching Lampent? Fuck off… A spirit-absorbing Chandelure? Get it the fuck away from me!

I hid in an alley, hoping that I could escape that fucking Lampent. I held my breath as it passed Kairi and me… It was so close…but luckily, it didn't see me.

After a few seconds, I sighed in relief. I looked at Kairi and hugged her. "Ghost Pokémon freak me out…"

I have _bad_ memories with them…

"Desuuuu…."

I bit my lip and slowly looked over my shoulder. My eyes widened as I found myself staring at a pair of big, glowing red eyes.

"Desuuuu…"

Ahh…I think I just felt my soul crawl out of my mouth…oh sweet merciful Arceus, it's playing with my hair...

"Laaaaamp!" Oh, shit, it came back! This is a fucking nightmare!

"Kairi, Water Gun on the glowing purple fire, now!" I shrieked. I am SO going to have nightmares tonight!

Kairi inhaled deeply and spat out a jet of water from her mouth at Lampent. "Osha!"

"Laaaamp!" Lampent was hit with full force from Water Gun and was sent back a few feet. The attack was super effective because Lampent is part fire-type as well.

I felt relief as Lampent wasn't so close anymore, but I still felt shaken up. My heart is pounding and my palms are sweaty. I hugged Kairi for reassurance. I am so glad I'm not alone…not like back then in the mansion. No, _bad_ memories...bad.

"Well, that's not very nice…" I heard someone say. "My Lampent only wanted to say hello…"

I looked and found myself staring at a guy with a Litwick on his shoulder. I tightened my hold on Kairi. "Get it away from me…"

"Still acting rude," the guy remarked. "Litwick isn't even doing anything."

How do you know?! That thing might be sucking your life force at this very moment—it's even smirking! Hell! Isn't a Litwick's fire only supposed to be lit when it's feeding?! In that case... "Get. The fuck. AWAY."

"I believe an apology is required of you—"

My left eye twitched as I interrupted the guy. "Look, if you want money, I don't have any and don't bother asking me for a battle. My Oshawott is the spawn of a Zoroark and Samurott and it knows Night Slash."

Don't fuck with me! I have also been trained in the way of kung-fu-fighting chickens and Saiyan-like monkeys!

He laughed. "Ahaha, who said I wanted money or a battle?"

…

Did anyone get that frightful chill up your spine? Or is that just me?

"Laaamp…" And that explains it…that Lampent recovered. Lampent was now floating around the guy and its lighting, along with Litwick, made it easier for me to look at the guy—hold on a second! Dark hair, tired-looking eyes, and that smirk…

I recognize that bastard! "You're that guy who keeps hitting on me right after a failed attempt on Touko!"

Shit, I just ran into the guy Touya didn't want me running into. Well, fuck my life…

The guy grinned. "My name is Suwama…and I don't believe I ever got your name."

"That's because I never told you, and I won't tell you…You ain't getting her number from me, assuming you're still interested in her and you can go fall in a pit if you think I'll give you MY number…" Now if you'll excuse me, I have to leave—

"Desuuuu~!" (5)

What the fuck is that?! Holy crap, I almost forgot about that…what is it?! Okay, red eyes…golden mask…shit, it's a Yamask, another Ghost Pokémon. Not exactly harmful, but still creepy as fuck. "Stay away from me!"

The Yamask ignored me and just paid more attention to the guy. It floated around him, looking rather happy in the lighting Litwick and Lampent had provided. The guy seemed very indifferent to the Yamask and even looked annoyed.

"I thought I told you to never show your face again," he said to Yamask. "Go away."

The Yamask frowned. "Desu…"

The guy scowled and swatted Yamask away. "I said go away. I'm not your Trainer anymore. You're useless to me, now."

Motherfucker say what?! Okay, Yamask might be a Ghost Pokémon, but it's still a Pokémon and what I just saw and heard…oh, hell no! "You bastard, how could you?"

"It's just a Pokémon, what does it matter?" was his answer. "It has already fulfilled its role to the team, so it was of no use to me…right, Litwick."

Litwick nodded. "Lit!"

"Desu…" Yamask looked like it was crying by now and that right there was horrible. Its mask was even crying.

If this was under other circumstances, I would be freaked out by Yamask looking creepy, but I just saw this fucking bastard outright call his Pokémon, useless. I think I can ignore my fear for a bit…even though my heart is pounding…

"You're happy have her if you want," he suggested, obviously oblivious to my current expression. "She seems to have taken a liking to you…oh, never mind. It seems she left…so, where were we?"

And I think my adrenaline just kicked in…fight or flight—flight. I just remembered that I am in an alley. "Kairi, Water Gun that motherfucker and his Pokémon!"

Kairi nodded and jumped out of my arms. She was about to use Water Gun, when suddenly, six golden orbs of energy latched onto her and exploded in a flash of white light. I covered my eyes and waited for the light to subside. When it did, I found myself looking down at a starry-eyed Kairi.

"Osha~…" she muttered weakly as she stumbled in her place before flopping down onto the ground.

Shit, she's confused…and Touya has her Poké ball, so she has to snap out of it on her own… Arceus knows how long that will take….I just hope she doesn't start hurting herself. Okay, I guess I have to switch over to fight for a bit because flight seems to be a no-no right now. I readied my fist and lunged forward with intents to smash Suwama's face in. I had caught Suwama off guard and I almost succeeded in smashing his face in…however, my left sandal picked the worst of times to snap on me. Now the tables were turned because I stumbled a bit, Suwama had caught my punch, and now my right arm was immobilized behind my back. Suwama had the upper hand…well, shit.

Okay, calm down…just calm down…lower you guard and wait for the kill. He probably just wants to intimidate you…just get that elbow ready and— "Nyaahh!"

THUD!

The back of my head is now throbbing from hitting Suwama in the face, but I'm free from his grip. My face is red, my heart is still pounding, and I'm now freaked out… He bit my ear…he bit my ear…oh, god, nasty! I have Suwama germs on me!

"I didn't think you were that sensitive…" Ah, shit, he recovered fast. "That was some reaction…"

I quickly turned to face Suwama. "Stay away or I'll scream!"

Suwama chuckled. "Look around…it's just us. Now just be a good girl and I won't have to use force…"

At that moment, his Litwick started laughing mischievously. And there's that frightful chill again… How the fuck did this situation go from me running away from Ghost Pokémon to this?! This is getting out of hand… I quickly picked Kairi off the ground and looked her over. She still seemed out of it…but she was at least conscious.

"Kairi, please listen to me and try to do what I tell you…" This is crucial because I'm going to bolt right now. "Use Water Gun!"

Kairi groaned and released a weak stream of water out of her mouth. Crap, she can't do it…shit, what am I going to do?! Why do I feel like I'm going to be a victim of something? "I am going to beat the shit out of you if you even try anything."

"Are you willing to put your dear Pokémon at risk?" FUCK, you are freaking despicable! Using my own Pokémon as ransom...

"I hate you." SO SO MUCH.

Suwama just grinned. "Hate is such a strong word."

"That is exactly why I used it, you fucking lowlife."

"Let's try to stay classy." Suwama was clearly getting annoyed with me.

"I will bite my thumb at you, Suwama..." This is as classy I will get with you. You're making me quote fucking Shakespeare for insults. Feel privileged because I only do this with my friends!

"I'm losing patience with you. You're much prettier when you're quiet." Suwama scowled. "I guess I'll have to fix that. Lampent, use Psychic."

"Laaaamp!"

Oh mother of Mew...why can't I _move_? Oh fuck, he's serious and he's even using his Pokémon for this...oh god, I need _help_. Shit, I can't speak...fuuuck, I should have screamed when I had the chance! But nooo, I had to piss him off! It's Tornadus all over again, except fucking worse! I never asked for this shit! Why is my life suddenly going to hell?! Suwama, fucking don't touch or even get near _me_!

"Get the fuck away from her, you freak!" My heart nearly skipped a beat as I recognized that voice as its owner just dashed in and slugged Suwama right in the face. It was Touya… How did he know where—oh, right, tracker—oh, my god, tracker, I love you! I think this is the first time that I'm actually happy about the tracker. Touya's sudden appearance and intervention had managed to break Lampent's concentration and freed me from Psychic.

"FREEDOM!" Oh god, it feels good to just even say that! Holy crap, my heart is pounding...

"Laaaamp!"

"Litwick!"

Ah, shit, I forgot about the Ghost Pokémon…oh, that's right…I can flee, now…and they're getting _near_ me! "GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!"

I didn't actually get too far in my running away from Litwick and Lampent…I ended up tripping because of my left sandal. Yeah, the broken strap…forgot about that. I had only managed to take a few steps before I fell flat on my face. At least Kairi is okay…

"Desu!"

My ears picked up a familiar voice. I quickly got up and looked to see that Yamask. Yamask was throwing balls consisting of crackling, purple energy at Litwick and Lampent. I think that's Shadow Ball… Why is it attacking Litwick and Lampent? Was it…protecting me?

The Yamask only managed to hit Lampent and completely missed Litwick. Lampent retaliated with Will-O-Wisp and succeeded in burning Yamask. It looked painful…but Yamask continued attacking.

…

I think he referred to Yamask as female. I think she was playing with my hair before he came along… I remembered how he…made that comment that she taken a liking to me. Why did he abandon her? She looks strong…and she has a strong will…

I noticed something at the moment. The Yamask was only attacking Lampent and avoided Litwick. Now that I looked closely at Litwick, it seemed scared. Without…_him_, around, Litwick looked different. After a few seconds, Yamask finally knocked out Lampent. She was looking rather worn out, now. The burns she had received were probably taking its toll on her, now, but she only shook it off. The Litwick started crying, now…just like a…baby…

It suddenly hit me as I watched Yamask move closer to Litwick, trying her best to calm the crying Candle Pokémon. That Yamask…she was Litwick's mother. I looked back at the unconscious Lampent and then at Litwick and Yamask. I'm starting to see a connection, now.

Lampent was the father of Litwick and Yamask was the mother. Yamask wasn't actually attached to Suwama and was actually paying more attention to the Litwick on his shoulder than him, her previous Trainer. It was all about Litwick…that's why she wouldn't stay away. That would explain the happy look on her face…and why she was crying when Suwama rejected her…because Litwick had rejected her as well.

I'm beginning to realize why Suwama had released Yamask…and it's saddens me because this is something that is not unheard of. There have been cases of Trainers releasing the mother of a Pokémon in their possession to prevent "babying". The mothers were usually Pokémon that had been caught and trained just so moves could be passed on hereditarily through breeding, which was almost always involuntary.

Yamask had become one of those mothers.

…

…

"Hey, can you stand up?"

I looked at Touya and said nothing…because I had nothing to say. I have no idea how long I had been looking at Yamask and Litwick. Kairi had snapped out of her confusion, which was good. I'm glad she didn't start hurting herself… I was scared… I mean I'm still scared right now. Apart from Kairi's confusion, Suwama almost did…something to me. He even had his Pokémon us Psychic on me and just...it's a really unsettling feeling. I'm still scared of Ghost Pokémon, but right now…It feels like something is squeezing me inside. I wanted to cry…

"You don't have to worry about him anymore…" Touya said softly, his expression full of concern. He knelt down to my level. "I knocked him out for you…Officer Jenny is on her way to get him right now…Hey, just say something. Just tell me if you're okay or not…"

To answer your question, Touya…no, I'm not okay. I just witnessed something that reminded me just how harsh reality could be. I was the target of Psychic and the victim of Suwama's unwanted advancements. Seriously, all of his actions? ALL unwanted...and just...it's creepy... There are so many things I wanted to say…but I just couldn't find my voice.

Touya sighed and shook his head. "Here, get on my back…I'll take you back…"

…

…

I had my chin propped on Touya's shoulder as he carried me on his back. Kairi was back in her Poké ball, so it was just Touya and I. Neither of us said anything, Touya for probably not knowing what to say and me not wanting to say anything. Something serious had happened…and yet, I don't think I feel anything from it.

I have nearly gotten killed by Thundurus, almost abducted by Tornadus, and, just now, I was almost raped by Suwama. Have I grown desensitized? Will I push off this incident as something I don't want to talk about like that past two incidents? Or will I let it traumatize me like the Eterna Mansion incident? I don't know…

"You can talk to me if anything is bothering you…" Touya finally spoke. "Don't close yourself off…let me in so I can help you… You don't have to do everything yourself. That's what I'm here for...please just say something. You're scaring me..."

It _hurts_ to hear Touya sound like this... I haven't heard him like this since the time he came to me right after he broke up with his last girlfriend. It was a really distressing moment for him. I was the first person he went to, when he could have gone to his twin sister. He and Touko are extremely close, except for that one moment, I was closer to him. I know he's still hurting and recovering...and I can tell my situation isn't helping one bit with him. I wish I could say something...just anything...

At that moment, a firework lit up the night sky as it burst into colorful sparks of light. I stared at the colorful sparks lighting up the night sky. It was pretty… After a few seconds, another firework shot up and burst into a different color of sparks. I blinked because my vision started blurring. I felt moisture and realized…I was crying.

"Just let it out…" Touya said softly. "Let it out…I'm here."

I remember this... These are the exact same words I told him when he confided in me. Before I knew it, I started sobbing. I felt like some part of me just died…is this what you would call a loss of innocence? "I'm…scared…"

Was that my voice? Was that really…my voice? Why does it sound broken?

"Yeah, me too…" Touya said, sounding rather sad. "Let's go get some dango…would you like that?"

I rubbed my eyes and sniffed. "Okay…"

For the next hour or so, Touya watched me stuff my face with mitarashi dango. He made sure I didn't choke by keeping a steady supply of green tea for me to drink. Honestly, I don't know where I would be without Touya…

…

…

* * *

><p>AN End of chapter.

Holy fuck, darkness—I mean another chapter…yeah. Well, what are you gonna expect from me? Black and White is one of the more serious Pokémon games. Anyways, hey! It's festival time! It finally happens…and shit hits the fan.

At least someone got knocked out and arrested. Anyways, OC's fear of Ghost Pokémon is introduced. That tracker shows some use, which is a plus. And we are introduced into yet another concept of Pokémon abandonment. Fuck you, Suwama…got his character from an actual character in the Best Wishes anime. You know him as Shamus.

Everything went downhill from there and you got keyed in a bit more on Touya's background involving his love-life. Yeah, Touya really suffered from his unhealthy relationship with his last girlfriend. As you can see, he still hasn't fully recovered. The thing about Touya is that he's kept some things to himself that he hasn't told OC. He eventually plans on telling her, but not now. Just though it was something worth mentioning since it IS actually relevant to the plot.

Note time!

(1) The translation from Spanish to English is "What?!"

(2) An Our Last Pact reference, and bit of pandering to my love for the Cheren/Bel pairing…I just love it.

(3) And it seems that Touya is the first to start showing signs of growing up. OC is not amused for she is now a short in comparison to Touya.

(4) Seriously, look at those fucking Pokédex entries! That's Creepypasta material right there.

(5) Yamask is a Pokémon who will use their Japanese onomatopoeia. Their Japanese name is Desumasu, or Deathmask. I love Yamask's Japanese onomatopoeia…it's adorable despite the fact that it's saying, "Death".

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'll try to get the next one up, soon! So until then, favorite, subscribe, or review, just DON'T FLAME ME. I appreciate constructive criticism, it really helps. So until next time, KD out! XD


	17. Comfort

"Touya…" I said after finishing off a skewer of dango.

Touya blinked. "Hmm…?"

I looked down at my plate and picked up the last skewer full of dango. I was about to eat it, but instead, I offered it to Touya. "Thank you."

Touya blinked again and smiled. "No problem…hey, you got some sauce on your face."

I looked at Touya and made a face as he wiped my face with a napkin for me. "I'm not five years old…"

Touya grinned. "Could have fooled me with the way you downed all that dango…what's wrong?"

"Please don't tell anyone about what happened…" I already made Cheren cry when he found out about Thundurus and Tornadus. I don't want him or any of my friends doing the same. They worry about me enough as is already. I rather not give my friends another actual reason to worry about me… "I can't let them see me like this…I just can't…"

Sometimes, I hate how I can't stop crying once I start like right now. No matter how much I try to wipe away the tears, they just keep coming. It's funny that I'm not used to this when, as a child, I cried a lot. I have considered it a phase for myself because after a certain point in my life, I started holding it in…

That's why I tend to break down when it's too much for me…and when I do, I don't want anyone to see me. Because when I cry, I'm showing a side of myself that I hide behind a façade: my weakness.

At this point, Touya is officially the only person I can show this side to, if not him, then Bel. He's been there for me when I needed him the most…just like when I was in elementary school. I wasn't aware of it back then, but as a child, others took advantage of me. My family wasn't from Unova, so I had access to other Pokémon my schoolmates have not seen yet in life outside of books. And due to being the child of two Veterans and the youngest sibling to a former Champion, one Elite Four member, and two Frontier brains…I'm actually a rich kid.

I can actually be classified as a Lady if I wanted to and my parents can take up the Socialite and Gentleman class, but we don't. We don't want to take up those classes. One, because I didn't plan on becoming a Trainer and at this point, I want to keep my Trainer classification because it shows various potential, and two, because my parents prefer to keep their Veteran classification.

They weren't born into the rich life, like I have, so they'd like to keep Veterans over Socialite and Gentleman. It was a titled they earned over the years and it is something they want to keep as a documentation of their experience. Once in a while, my parents would leave me with Monta so they could go off on an excursion. Usually it involves tournaments or just feeling the rush of adventure again. Sometimes, they choose to go to other regions to challenge my older siblings, just to check up on their skills. One day, I'll be experiencing that…and I dread it.

I wasn't the typical child born into the rich life…I used to be a spoiled brat, but, at the same time, I was generous when given the chance. I liked sharing with others and giving them some of the candies and pastries I had received. It felt nice to see others have what they don't have often…because it made them happy.

Though, at the same time, it was also for a self-centered reason: I was the best. I had issues with not being the center of attention. Of course, my classmates quickly picked up on this and took advantage of my need to be the best. I didn't know that until Touya pointed it out at me.

When I tested it out to see if it was true, I got the brunt of the backlash from my classmates. I was branded a spoiled, selfish kid…which I guess was true considering my intentions…

But when they assumed I thought I was better than them…I stopped talking to them altogether. Thinking of it now, I think Cheren was right when he said he wouldn't blame me for developing an inferiority-complex…because I had one as a child. The need to be the best…because I felt I wasn't, even though my parents and friends said otherwise. I was self-conscious of what others said about me…

That's why when my some of my classmates started picking on me, it got to me… I couldn't ignore it, and when I tried to…it just wouldn't work out. In the end, my tormentors left me alone when an incident traumatized Touko enough to never feel comfortable around baby Pokémon. Even now, Touko still has panic attacks when she is left alone with a baby Pokémon, the parent nowhere in sight.

Of course, my tormentors tried to put the blame on me and it would have worked, were it not for Touya. Thanks to him, Cheren, and Bel, my tormentors stopped and—well, there's a reason why Cheren, Touko and Touya, Bel, and I are not to be fucked with…at all. Our families have connections…and the parents of the tormentors found out the hard way. Days after the incident occurred, my tormentors transferred to different elementary schools after moving out of Nuvema Town.

This would have put an end to all of what has happened to me, if it weren't for the fact that this little incident and the consequences that followed ended up scaring my classmates and everyone who knew about the scenario. There was a reason why Touko, Touya, Cheren, Bel, and Iris are my only friends…and it's because everyone else was afraid to upset me.

After that, I didn't know what was worse: Being picked on…or being isolated from the rest of the world. In either case, it's the reason why I'm not sociable with people. I got along with Pokémon better than people…Pokémon are sensitive to a human's emotions. They can tell who their real friends are…and who their enemies are. Most Pokémon identify me as their friend, with small exceptions that begin as a rocky start to eventual friendship.

My third oldest brother's Glameow was an example of that rocky start. We didn't get along at all at the beginning, and it didn't help that we both gave reasons to keep the animosity alive. I scared the crap out of Glameow for whatever sadistic reasons I had, such as finding it funny, and Glameow attacked my leg at random. The animosity ended once my third oldest brother locked us up together in that damn mansion…

The only plus side out of that damn experience was that Myau and I became friends…of course, then Big joined my third oldest brother's team and now I serve as peacemaker between the two at times.

Speaking of Big…the poor thing…there is a reason why I'm very familiar with Pokémon abuse and it's because of Big. His previous owners kept him locked up in a cage, never once letting him out. When I first met Big, he was still a Glameow. I was the one taking care of Big, getting him used to being in open areas and around people. My third oldest brother took the next step after this and introduced Big into Pokémon battles.

Not exactly a glamorous start, but Big eventually opened up to battling and, eventually, evolved into a Purugly. After that, Big became a huge marshmallow, except when it came to battles. Big is extremely serious when it comes to battles…and Myau…those two are like freaking bros. Sure, they fight with each other, but I think they just do it because they want to see who's stronger. I just stop them when it gets a little out of hand, such as when those two decide that fighting in the middle of the night while I'm asleep is a fucking swell idea.

…I miss home…I really do… I just want someone to tell me that it's all right, it won't happen again… I want my mom…mom… Why did you have to kick me out of the house? Would you have kicked me out if you knew the things I have gotten myself into…? Would you…?

To be honest, I'm quite glad that Touya decided to stay with me… He's all I have from home…he knows me better than I do myself. And without him…I don't want to think of what could have happened back then with Thundurus and just now, with Suwama…

…Touya has been awfully quiet…

"Touya?"

"Hmm…?" he finally says.

"Can you…please?" I still haven't received an answer from you…

"Yeah, I understand…but you can't always keep quiet about this…"

"I know…and the same goes for you." Touya never went into too much detail of what went on with his last girlfriend, just a few mentions every once in a while.

Touya made a face. "I'm not ready yet..."

"Take your time..." There's no rush. "For now, just let me pretend, that even for just a moment, that Suwama never happened…"

"…As you wish…" Touya replied.

"Thank you…" I've been there for him when he needed me the most and now, he's here for me when I need him. Just knowing that makes me feel especially grateful for having him as a friend.

…

…

I must have fallen asleep, because I can't recall what happened afterwards. When I woke up, I was in the lounge room back at the café, lying on the sofa. It was a little past one in the morning, according to the clock, and my eyes were straining to keep open. I was warm and comfortable…I wanted to go back to sleep.

So I turned over and burrowed my face into the cushion. I could hear my heartbeat…it was that quiet. At that moment, I felt something or rather, _someone_, move. I realized now that the heartbeat I have been hearing wasn't my own, but rather, someone else's. The cushion was actually someone's chest. My heart nearly stopped and my body tensed as an arm wrapped around my waist and brought me closer. A chin rested gently on top of my head and a content sigh accompanies the action.

I felt trapped…and that feeling scared me. My body started trembling and I struggled to find my voice. I felt tears welding up in my eyes. Don't cry…just don't cry…and don't panic…

"_Look around…it's just us. Now just be a good girl and I won't have to use force…"_

Oh god, I'm scared…help me…don't leave me…alone…

…

"It's okay, I'm here…"

I sniffed and swallowed hard. "T..Touya…?"

"It's just me…" he said softly. "I didn't mean to scare you…"

I would have been mad if I wasn't so damned relieved… I choked back a sob…and then another…and another…

"Do you want me to leave you alone?" Touya sounded worried.

"No!" I was surprised with my sudden outburst. It was almost automatic… "No…I don't want to be…alone…"

Touya sighed and started to gently stroke my hair. "I won't…I won't…"

I was seeing a side to Touya that he rarely ever showed… He was gentle and affectionate… He was warm… I wanted to stay like this…just a little longer…just so I can reassure myself that I'm not alone…

It feels nice to be…embraced…like this. Heh, to be honest, I always wanted to be embraced like this… I don't care by whom, but I just wanted to be held… I liked being hugged…I'm…weird like that. I feel jealous when I read shoujo manga and see a happy couple embracing…or doing anything remotely affectionate, like holding hands and such…you know, innocent stuff, nothing too serious.

Heh, I think only Bel is aware of this…she's seen me stay on certain pages for far too long. That might explain why she is so affectionate with me…but she's always been like that with all of us… Still, she always makes sure to hug me…

When Cheren embraced me after I opened up to him…I was surprised, mostly because this was Cheren. He never does this…but…when he did that, I felt…oddly happy. I was kinda sad when he let me go…I don't like him in that way, it's just…I'm just weird like that…

…

I don't want this to end… "Touya…"

"Hmm…?"

"Can you…can we stay like this?" My face felt warmer than usual and my heart was starting to pound within my chest. I never felt so…shy…

"What…?" Touya sounded surprised.

I hesitated at first, but I managed to let myself be heard. "Please…just hold me…"

…

…

Oh, god, what did I just say?! I felt my face beginning to burn with embarrassment. I tried to move away from Touya, but he tightened his hold on me.

"I thought you wanted me to hold you…" he sounded amused.

I bit my lip and buried my face into his chest. "Shut up…"

My voice was muffled, but Touya heard me. He chuckled and nuzzled the top of my head. I seriously don't question anything about this anymore. I felt comfortable…and safe… I let out a content sigh and closed my eyes.

As I drifted off, I heard Touya say something faintly. I only managed to make out one word…and one word only…

"…you…"

I wonder what he said…

…

…

* * *

><p>AN End of chapter and hello people! :D Sorry for the late update and short chapter, but eh…I like how this chapter is…and ending it where it's at. So…OC…her…I already stated she was asexual, but here's the thing about that…just because someone is asexual doesn't mean they don't like to be hugged or hold hands…unless that someone doesn't like doing that. Everyone is different…remember that not all asexuals are the same. Just like sexual orientation, asexuals have their own orientation, which is referred to as affectional orientations (also known as romantic orientation). People may engage in purely emotional romantic relationships…now this is the type of relationship that OC would be interested in, so keep that in mind.

Asexuality is about lacking sexual attraction to anyone or a low or absent interest in sexual activity. OC isn't interested in anything remotely sexual and despite the way she acts, she's extremely awkward around stuff like that, hence her reaction to the contraceptive she found in Touya's bag—though, of course, that was more on how she couldn't believe Touya, of all people, would own something like that. It's like finding out something about your friend and discovering something you'd never thought they would like, have, or do…

So one thing we learned about OC…if you haven't noticed, OC is touched-starved. She likes affectionate touch, despite the way she acts. She freezes up, yes, and she almost had a panic attack, but let me ask you something…do any of you recall the when was the last chapter OC had been hugged?

The answer is chapter 13 and Cheren had been the one to hug her. And before him, N had been the last person to hug her… OC isn't sociable around people and despite having Pokémon who love her, it's not enough. So when she acted the way she did in this chapter with Touya…it's because she has never been held like that. That's another thing we've learned about OC.

As for Big the Purugly…his background is based off my cat, Lucky. Lucky had been abused by his previous owners and when I first met him…he was very shy. He gets scared easily by loud noise and is hesitant to just walk in open places. He was named Lucky because on the day my brother adopted him, it was Lucky's last day. He was going to be put down, were it not for my brother. That was years ago and now, Lucky is doing fine. He's loveable, though very much a pushover…but he's sweet.

Anyways, for those of you who haven't kept up with me, I started a new story, called _Façade_. It's a new fandom and another genderbender! Say hello to Yu Narukami from Persona 4! And I'm taking the Persona 4 Golden route since I have the game and I just love it…I've seen the original, but Golden managed to make a perfect game much more perfect…yeah…

Anyways, from Persona 3 Portable, to Persona 4 Golden, KD is hooked to the Shin Megami Tensei series…but moving on, let's get back to life! I'm graduating next month! YAY! And I'm also turning eighteen in two weeks! More yay!  
>And I passed my driver's permit written exam after a really bad first attempt!<p>

OC: Holy shit, she's going to start learning how to drive!

Yeah…hey, it was eventually going to happen. I mean, KD's almost an adult…she has to grow up…but I'm not letting that get to me. :3 I'm staying positive! So review if you wish, just NO FLAMES! DX I welcome constructive criticism, since it helps.

Well, that's it for now…until next time, readers! KD out! XD


	18. A Fiery Warm-up

I was warm…and comfortable. I was half-asleep and on the verge of opening my eyes. I didn't want to open my eyes…I just wanted to stay asleep. And I almost drifted off again…except one thing woke me up.

"Desu~!"

My body tensed and my eyes snapped open wide. I felt my heart pounding within my chest. I recognized that sound…

"Desu desu-masu!"

There it is again! Ah…I felt my soul crawl out of my mouth—oh shit, it's grabbing my hair… Don't scream, don't scream, don't scream, don't scream—

"Lit!"

At that moment, I felt a small weight on my shoulder. When I turned my head, I saw yellow eyes staring into my brown eyes. Said yellow eyes happened to belong to a certain candle-like Pokémon that made my blood run cold.

…

…

It wasn't a surprised that my screams were heard throughout the entire café-slash-gym. However, I was surprised with how calm Touya was, despite being rudely woken up by my screams. I had almost forgotten that we had slept together and right now, I am refusing to let go of him. Not with that Litwick on my shoulder!

"GET IT OFF!" I buried my face into Touya's chest. "Get it off…"

"Uh…it's not doing anything…" Touya tried to reassure me.

"It's probably feeding off my life energy as we speak!" I exclaimed. "Just get the fucking candle off of me!"

"Desu~!" a rather cheery voice said.

Oh crap, I forgot about the other one! "Just get them away from me! Ahahaha…"

…

…

I rubbed my eyes as I hid behind Touya, not caring very much for the looks I received from everyone. I just wanted to get away from those Ghost Pokémon… I really am terrified of Ghost Pokémon—I was crying, okay?!

N took care of them by taking them out of the room. Right now, I was trying to calm down. Touya, Touko, and Cheren knew of my fear of Ghost Pokémon, but the triplets had no idea what the hell was going on. That was the reason why they looked so confused, whilst my friends finally knew WHY I had screamed.

Bel walked over to me and patted me on the head. "It's okay…they're not going to hurt you…"

I sniffed and pushed Touya out of the way so I could latch onto Bel. "It was terrible! Just…make the mean ghosts go away!"

Bel stroked my hair. "There, there…"

"What the hell is up with her?" Pod finally asked.

Touya sighed. "She's terrified of Ghost Pokémon…"

"That would explain the bittersweet taste coming from this peculiar matchup…" Dento mused.

I looked over Bel's shoulder and made a face at Dento. "Bittersweet?"

"There is potential," Dento replied. "You should give them a chance."

I scowled. "Over my dead body—wait! Never mind! That damn Litwick will only have food if that ever happens!"

Corn diverted his eyes to the side and sighed. "Speaking of food, would anyone care for breakfast?"

"Kiba!" Iris's Axew exclaimed loudly.

Iris blinked and laughed sheepishly. "I would…"

Touko smiled widely. "All right! Count me in!"

Cheren just shook his head and walked over to me. "When are you going to grow up?"

I frowned. "You weren't locked up in a mansion full of Ghost Pokémon! You know nothing of my pain! NOTHING!"

It took Bel nearly half an hour to calm me down and only a few minutes for Touya to finally snap me out of my overreacting state. Needless to say, I was doing quite better after that…

And then Yamask and Litwick appeared through the door with N. I was _this_ close to hiding under Bel's shirt, especially since Yamask decided to invade my personal bubble.

"Desu~!" WHY DO YOU SOUND SO HAPPY?!

"GO AWAY." I took to hiding behind Touya again. I hissed at Yamask as I looked over Touya's shoulder.

N frowned. "Yamask hasn't done anything to you. She's just happy to see you're okay after yesterday."

I froze. "Wah…"

Cheren was quick to take notice to N's comment. "What was that?"

N looked confused. "Yamask was worried about her because she was crying when Touya took her away…"

Cheren turned to Touya. "What happened? Tell me now…"

Aw, fuck…why did nothing want to go right? Well, I guess there's no hiding it anymore… "I, ah…I…was…"

Why is it so damn difficult to say it?! I was able to tell Cheren of my experience with Tornadus! Why can't I do the same with what happened the other day with Suwama?! I want to say it, but…I can't.

"Touya…" I can't say it.

Touya sighed and placed his hand on my shoulder. "She's fine, overall…that's all that matters. Also, that fucker from yesterday is dead meat if I ever see him again."

"Can we pretend that never happened?" I know that's not a good thing, but I just want a chance to think of that incident as nonexistent…just for a bit. "Please…?"

…

…

Breakfast was definitely awkward and borderline terrifying thanks to those damn ghosts. They just wouldn't leave me alone! Yamask was playing with my hair and Litwick was nuzzling my cheek. I was rather silent and still. The only reason I hadn't passed out was because Touya was nearby.

"I feel…cold…" I suddenly said.

"Well, the festival's over," Touya remarked. "Didn't you want to challenge the Gym?"

I blinked and turned to my bosses. "Yeah, you three owe me a battle…"

Pod smiled widely. "I was wondering when you were going to ask."

"Corn doesn't mind if he's your first opponent," Corn said coolly.

I smiled. "Well, since you offered—"

"Denied!" Pod exclaimed as he grabbed me and brought me closer to him. "You're battling me, first!"

I made a face. "Dude, personal space…I don't know you that well."

"I got you a game," Pod said with a grin. "And you've been using my room for quite some time, now. Oh, and didn't we bond over videogames?"

…

…

"Okay, fair point…" I just realized how close I have gotten to Pod. Seriously, how did I miss that? "Can you let me go, now?"

…

"No." Pod grinned as I glared at him.

Not gonna lie, I like this guy. There's nothing like making a new friend in the morning…even though I just realized we went past acquaintanceship just now.

…

…

The battlefield was prepared and Dento took his spot as referee. I stood on one side of the field and Pod was on the other side. We stared at each other for a few seconds, until…

"You may begin!" Dento exclaimed.

Pod grinned widely and pumped his fist up in the air a few times. "Akemi, baby, you're up!"

Akemi jumped off her Trainer's shoulder and landed a few feet in front of him. "Oop!"

I made a face as I stared at Akemi. I need to consider…am I prepared for this…am I? Okay, female fire monkey capable of seducing male Pokémon…I have one male Pokémon on me that is of the same species of her, so I should avoid using Natsuki. I only have three Pokémon as of yet and Ivy has a disadvantage. She knows no moves to counter her disadvantage, so that just leaves me using Kairi, who is by the far the most suitable for this battle.

Advantage she has, indeed…but the chances of me screwing up are just as possible… Well, I'm trying here! I have nothing left to lose.

"Go Kairi!" I released my adorable little otter thing onto the field. "Who makes the first move?!"

Pod grinned widely. "I have a policy of letting ladies go first!"

"Show off!" I exclaimed.

Pod laughed. "Might I say you look positively fabulous in that uniform today?!"

"Flattery will get you nowhere!" I exclaimed as I tried to ignore my red face.

Despite this being a Gym battle, I am still working at this café and employees challenging the Gym are still required to wear the uniform. And of course, Misato and Chiharu still did my hair today, with a little help from Bel. Today's hairstyle: Straight!

Yeah…I got my hair straightened…and damn, I have a lot of hair. Took almost an hour to straighten all my hair, and that's the fastest my hair has ever been straightened—I have rather thick hair, and it is rather long...especially now that it's been straightened. I mean, seriously, it's about as long as Touko's hair now, except her hair is rather fluffy so her hair might actually be longer than mine—

"Goddammit, short attention span!" I exclaimed.

Pod just laughed. "You okay? You spaced out for a minute."

"I got distracted by hair…" No lie.

"That's all right," Pod remarked. "By the way, when this is over…you and I have to talk."

Huh…I wonder what it could be about. "Okay, I'm gonna make my first move! Kairi, Water Gun that monkey! She seduced Natsuki!"

Kairi inhaled deeply. "Osha!"

I was surprised to see Pod smirk. He's hiding something…

"Akemi, use Dig!" Pod suddenly exclaimed.

Akemi jumped up and faced downward as she used her hands to dig into the ground. At that moment, Kairi's water gun hit the location where Akemi once stood prior to using Dig.

"Oh god…" If Akemi knows Dig…there's a chance the other monkeys know it as well…and that reminds me of Attract…fuck. These triplets do NOT screw around! Okay, think fast, girl! "Kairi, I want you to use Water Gun through that hole right now! Quick before she gets out of the ground!"

Too late, Akemi suddenly burst out of the ground in front of Kairi and slugged my cute little otter thing. I'm lucky the move wasn't super effective, but I can tell for one thing… That _had_ to hurt!

Kairi rubbed at her cheek. "Osha…wott…"

"Razor Shell, now!" C'mon, girl, you can do it!

Kairi took off her shell and it started to glow blue as it formed into an energy blade. She was quick to slash at Akemi, but Akemi was fast. She was dodging Kairi, left to right, up and down.

"Come on!" Kairi hasn't even landed a single hit in the past few minutes the battle had started!

Pod grinned widely. "Kairi isn't the first Oshawott Akemi has faced."

Pod say whaaaaat? "Oh, don't tell me…"

"New Trainers always seem to think that type-advantage determines a battle," Pod explained. "Akemi's been through training to counter her type's disadvantage against water Pokémon."

"What about ground and rock types?" Hmmmm….? I believe fire-types are weak to those as well… "What about that?"

"She knows Dig…" Pod said simply. "I'm amazed you didn't take the time to check out Akemi's move pool when you had the chance."

I scowled. "I'm sorry, but I don't like using my Pokédex to cheat like that!"

Pod shrugged. "Your loss…Fire Punch."

Ho shit— "Kairi, use your shell!"

"Osha!" Kairi shielded herself with her shell. Akemi's fiery punch was blocked off, but the force did send Kairi back a few inches. Akemi is strong…

"I need to think!" I clutched my head. "Uh…shut up, Pod!"

Pod was cracking up. "It's just…I can't take you seriously right now with that face!"

I stared blankly at Pod. "Qué…?"

Pod wiped his eyes. "Never mind…just…ahaha…I thought you were better than this!"

"Look, you pyro, I've only been a Trainer for thirteen days! Of those thirteen days, I've been through absolute hell! I've been almost killed by Thundurus, almost abducted by Tornadus, and I got assaulted by Ghost Pokémon just this morning!"

"Oh, affection is _so_ considered assault!" I heard Touya say loudly from above Pod and I.

I scowled. "Oh, fuck you, Touya!"

Nobody knows my pain…_nobody_… Otherwise, my fear of Ghost Pokémon wouldn't be treated as something so comical! I hate it…

"Kairi, I want you to use Night Slash!" The critical hit ratio should prove useful if it manages to kick in…and I'm willing to take my chances.

Kairi's shell glowed red as she held it out. Kairi moved in closer to Akemi for an attack and managed to land a few successful slashes on the fire-monkey. It was only a few hits and I doubt Kairi got a critical, but damage is damage and Kairi hasn't landed a hit on Akemi until now, so…I'm quite happy.

"Use Water Gun, quick!" I have to look for any little opening for an attack. Now's a good time as any for Kairi to attack…hopefully, it hits.

…

…

And it does! "Kairi, you beautiful otter thing, you!"

Akemi wasn't looking too good at this point. She got hit with Water Gun at full force and at such a close proximity. I think Kairi landed a critical! Frankly, I don't give a damn because Kairi and I have a chance at winning, now!

"Isn't it a bit too early to celebrate…?" Pod said calmly.

"Let me have my moment, dammit!" I stuck my tongue out at Pod.

Pod wagged his finger at me. "You forgot about one thing…I still have a few things up my sleeves…"

Okay, my heart just started pounding. I'm scared…just what is he talking about—when did that happen?! I stared wide-eyed in shock at Kairi as I noticed her feet were wrapped in grass that I was pretty sure wasn't there before! I know this move!

"Grass Knot…" The user ensnares the target with grass and trips it… It would be super effective against Kairi, but the move also depends on the target's weight. The heavier the target, the greater the damage…Kairi doesn't weigh a lot, and she hasn't tripped just yet, so she's still hasn't been damaged just yet… "Don't move and just use your shell to cut yourself out of that!"

Kairi nodded and started slashing at the grass with her shell. She was so defenseless right now…so…open for an attack—

"Watch out!" I exclaimed.

"Akemi, use Low Kick!" Pod exclaimed.

Akemi grinned widely and dashed over to Kairi. "Oop!"

"Use Razor Shell!" Please be faster, please be faster…

Akemi was faster than Kairi and ducked, managing to avoid getting hit by Razor Shell. Akemi then swung one of her legs, effectively tripping Kairi and managing to activate the Grass Knot.

The saying "the bigger they are, the harder they fall" is what defines the move, Grass Knot. The way Grass Knot works by hurting the target through tripping is from the way it is wrapped around the target. The grass is sharper than usual, as an effect of being manipulated into an attack. With the target restrained in grass and being knocked off balance, the target is harmed by the grass as it is pulled with them as they fall. Weight makes to move much more effective through the way it adds more force to the pull.

With Akemi using Low Kick, she added some force to Kairi's fall to make the Grass Knot more effective. Pod wasn't joking around when he said he had experience… This is the result of his training…

"That's how you got past type-disadvantage…" That was clever of Pod…

Pod nodded. "I've broken many new Trainers of their overconfident mindset that type-advantage determines a battle. You chose Kairi not just because of type-advantage, but because of something else…am I right?"

"You think I'll let Akemi's Attract go by me?" Natsuki is the only male on my team and he's the only one other than Kairi, capable of going up against Akemi. "I'm not putting Ivy against Akemi since I have yet to give her moves to counter her type-disadvantage. I'm not doing that to any of my Pokémon…not yet. I tried it once and it almost backfired on me…"

Daichi reminded me that I'm still a new Trainer and that there is no way I was going to get through type disadvantage at my team's current state. We have a lot of work to do…but first!

"Kairi!" I hope she's okay… "Are you okay?!"

"Osha…" Kairi's voice was weak, but she seemed fine…ish. She was at least conscious and out of that grass knot. Still, the damage she had taken from the attack…she's not going to last long.

"Get up, girl…" Please tell me you can…

Kairi struggled to get off the ground. She couldn't get up…but she kept trying. I had a sense of déjà vu with this scene…Akane did that with Bel. Was Kairi really going to do…what I think she was going to do?

"Osha…" Kairi grunted as she continued trying to get off the ground.

"She's not getting up…" Never once had I ever put myself in Bel's shoes on that day she saw Akane struggling in vain to get up…and now, I'm experiencing this scene all over again, except for one thing…Kairi is my Pokémon—no…my friend. "Kairi…"

Thud!

She just keeps falling back down…

"Is she capable of battling?!" Pod called out. "Because if she doesn't get up within the next minute, it's an automatic loss on your behalf—"

"Oshawott-osha!" Kairi yelled.

My eyes widened as I watched Kairi force herself off the ground. "Kairi…"

Pod blinked. "Hmm…I guess she's still capable…but for how much longer? Let's finish this up, Akemi!"

I blinked as I watched Akemi open her arms and close her eyes as she faced sky. Sunlight streamed through the glass-topped roof and the tuft on her head then started to glow as a ball of energy formed in front of it.

It took me a few seconds to put two and two together to realize what was going on. "Kairi!"

Thud!

"Osha…" Kairi wasn't able to keep her balance…she had been pushing herself.

"Shit…" Okay, keep calm…

"Akemi, Solar Beam!" Pod suddenly exclaimed.

"Baoppu!" Akemi took a hold of the ball of energy and quickly lowered her arms.

Shit… "Kairi, move, now!"

Kairi was crawling at this point…she could get seriously hurt from this… How could I let that pass my mind?! "KAIRI! DO SOMETHING!"

There was nothing much I could do at this point. Akemi thrust her arms forward and fired off a powerful golden beam of energy from the orb in her hands at Kairi. The entire room lit up so suddenly from the attack. I covered my eyes, my reasons being from not wanting to see Kairi get hurt and from the light being rather blinding.

As the light started to wane, I could only think of one thing…what have I done? I let Kairi hurt herself…she was past her limits! She couldn't even keep her balance! I'm a horrible Trainer…

…

…

Words could not describe my reaction to the scene before me. Kairi was still conscious and currently had her back to a rock. The attack didn't miss, that I know…but it didn't harm Kairi, and that was what confused me. It took me a few seconds to realize what had happened when I saw Kairi holding out her shell in front of herself. Kairi had deflected the Solar Beam with her shell.

The reason why she was against a rock was because, despite deflecting the attack, there was still force to it. Kairi had been pushed back by the Solar Beam… I refrained from thinking of how much damage that would have been on Kairi… All I know was that it had enough force to move Kairi at least a foot back.

Pod was just as speechless, as was Akemi. Everyone was shocked…and by everyone, I mean _everyone_, because those female customers with the tendency to dress up in cheerleader outfits were back…and they had a few males amongst them, who were doing the same thing—except they were wearing a typical ouendan uniform, complete with a long, black gakuran and a hachimaki… Dammit, now I want to play _Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan_ again, but the game is at home…

Wait a second! "Kairi, use Water Gun, now!"

I've never been one for being much of a combat pragmatist, but at this point, Kairi's on the verge of knocking out! We had one chance and one chance only…this was it. Everyone was still in shock with what had happened and it was a good thing I had a short attention span, otherwise I would have still been caught up on how unbelievable it was that Kairi deflected that attack.

Akemi and Pod snapped out of it almost at once, but it was too late. Kairi's Water Gun hit Akemi with full force. Kairi's Water Gun was more powerful than usual and when I looked at Kairi, I realized why.

Kairi's body was surrounded by a light blue aura. Her eyes were glowing as well. I remember one thing about the Starter Pokémon and that most of them typically have certain abilities, such as Overgrow, Blaze, and Torrent. Swarm is another variation of the ability. What these abilities do is that as a Pokémon becomes weak, or grows tired as a result of reaching their limits, their attacks get powered up. In Kairi's case, her ability is Torrent and it powers up her water-type moves.

THUD!

Akemi is weak to water-type moves and she was already hit with a critical Water Gun some time ago. It wasn't a surprise to see her being thrown back against the wall from the attack. It was that strong…

"Akemi!" Pod yelled as he ran over to his Pokémon. When he picked Akemi off the floor, I could tell she was out of it. The steam she let out of her mouth and the spirals in her eyes was enough to confirm it for me. If not that, then Dento did.

"Akemi is unable to battle!" Dento announced as he raised his left arm. "Kairi wins! Victory goes to the challenger from Nuvema Town!"

It suddenly hit me…I won…I actually won— "Kairi!"

I ran over to my extremely exhausted Pokémon. She was huffing and puffing, but she seemed rather content. She looked at me with a wide smile and open arms as I knelt down to pick her up.

"Kairi, I…just…" I cannot even begin to describe how much gratitude I had for Kairi.

"Osha…?" she said weakly.

I just smiled. "That'll do, girl, that'll do…"

…

…

I waved at Touya as he left to take Kairi to the Pokémon Center for me. He was going to use this chance to get Trubbish gendered as well. At the moment, Pod and Corn allowed a small intermission before my next battle. I might have beaten Pod, but he was just the beginning. I'm still one more win away from a badge. I was sitting alone at a table, thinking to myself.

My next opponent is Corn, the oldest of the triplets. I know practically nothing about him, save for the fact that he was very much like water. He was cool and calm, and he was quiet…but sometimes even the calmest of waters has its undercurrents. I'm not gonna lied, but Pod scared me… I'm even more afraid of what Corn has up his sleeves.

I thought I was doing well, but I almost lost because I panicked. Up until my battle with Pod, I was battling Trainers who had little to no skill or, in other cases, were at my level. I'm regretting challenging all three triplets, but I really do need the experience.

"Hey…" I blinked and noticed that Pod was sitting right across from me. He smiled widely as Akemi messed with his hair. Akemi was wrapped in bandages. She was fine, though exhausted. "You got me."

I blinked again. "Huh?"

Pod sighed. "I am…burned…out… That was an unbelievable battle."

A small bead of sweat rolled down the side of my face. "Y-yeah…I guess."

"You were on fire…" Pod leaned in towards me. "You're the first newbie to beat me."

Okay, that caught my attention. "Okay, explain…"

"Most noobs tend to beat me after their first attempt," Pod explained. "And you're the first to win during the first attempt."

I don't know what to say… "Wow…"

"Back then, when I was still an inexperienced Gym Leader, I was a lot like many of the noobs I broke." Pod smiled warmly. "I was the one being broken…I was overconfident. I was the reason the requirement my brothers placed on the Gym when we were all starting out."

"What was the requirement?" This is stuff I didn't know…

Pod chuckled. "You should know from the request you made."

Wait…battling all three of them— "That was the requirement?"

"It was three battles," Pod continued. "Trainers had to beat at least two of us to get the badge. I was considered the warm-up since I went first…"

Oh, pun…bad pun… "That's lame…"

Pod closed his eyes and sighed. "Tell me about it…I mean, it's a terrible pun to begin with."

I see he noticed it… "You're smarter than you look."

"I take advantage of that aspect of myself." Pod grinned. "I caught you by surprise, didn't I?"

I stared blankly at him. "No shit."

Pod ceased his grin. "But yeah…I hated myself for losing so much…It was frustrating just standing there in my brothers' shadows, known only as the warm-up."

"This is rather hard to believe since you freaking slapped me awake…" Pod woke me up. He showed me that I still had work to do…warm-up, my ass. There was no warm-up!

Pod laughed. "Corn and Dento kicked some sense into me. They helped Akemi with her type-disadvantage. From there, Akemi and I decided to shape up…and eventually, I started winning."

I smiled. "That's good to hear…"

"Not for the challengers." Pod remarked. "I caught many new Trainers by surprise. A lot of them were unprepared. So after a month of many defeats and lack of Trainers earning a badge…the three-battle requirement was dropped."

I nodded. "And you let Trainers choose who they want to battle…correct?"

"Yup…but we toughened up before we dropped that requirement…" Pod patted Akemi on the head. "We weren't just going to let any Trainer earn a badge from just one battle. They had to work for it…and you could've done the same, but you didn't. You decided to challenge all of us."

Again, I regret the decision, but the experience is rather worth it. "Do you have a problem with that?"

Pod shook his head. "No… It's just that you're the first person in almost three years who is going to battle all three of us. And it's not even a requirement. You're the only one who as ever asked…"

I lifted my index finger and twirled it in the air. "Woo-hoo, I feel special."

Pod chuckled. "You remind me of myself…maybe that's why…"

I made a face. "What do you mean?"

Pod shook his head and reached over to ruffle my hair. "Oh nothing, my naïve little challenger—you have a lot of hair!"

I slapped Pod's hand away. "Don't do that!"

"Ha, you're cute when you're mad!" Pod grinned widely. "You're definitely on fire!"

Akemi laughed along with her Trainer. "Oop!"

I scowled and unhooked a Poké ball off my belt. "I'll show you cute when I get Natsuki out of his ball!"

Hope you like Incinerate…

Pod just waved it off. "Calm down, calm down…since you beat me, I guess I'll give you a small little tip for when you go up against big brother Corn…"

I calmed down immediately. "Really?"

Pod smiled. "Now you're listening…well, I'll tell you one thing for all three of us: they all know Attract."

Well, shit…That means I was right about Attract. Well, Natsuki is the only male on the team, but if he gets hit…I'm screwed. I can't afford to lose against Corn. I already have Natsuki as my designated Pokémon for the battle against Dento…and that battle is probably going to be luck-based, all because of Attract.

Ivy is going to have to play up her advantage over Rumi. I cannot afford to screw around either despite the advantage. Kairi was literally at her limits when she defeated Akemi. Ivy doesn't have that sort of endurance to withstand such a feat…not yet, at least.

"Anything else you'd like to tell me?" By all means, I hope Pod goes on.

Pod smirked. "Nope…"

"I hate you…" Burn in a ditch…

"Well, I guess I can tell you about Corn…" Pod remarked. "I'll put it in simpler terms to avoid saying more than I need to say…he doesn't fuck around."

My heart just pounded. "Ah, that's good to hear…"

"Good luck!" Pod waved at me. "It's time now…"

I feel…no! No more throwing up…I am going in and going to do my best! Ivy is smart and strong. She knows what to do if I don't…have faith and hope in BS luck… It's gotten us this far…

"I am going to win this…" I said confidently.

"That's the spirit!" Pod exclaimed. "Now go in there and show your fanboys you have what it takes to actually deserve an ouendan in your name!"

Yeah, I'll do that—wait, what?! "I have fanboys?!"

"Apparently…" someone said coolly.

I turned to see Corn standing right behind me. "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to determine how long you'll last against Corn…" Corn replied. "Your battle with little brother lasted only fifteen minutes…"

Wow, that's a new record…on average, most of my battles last almost ten minutes…that's per battle, not in total. This is some good progress. Soon, Kairi will be able to endure battles longer than that!

"That is impressive, but you won't last as long against Corn…" Corn flicked his hair.

THUD!

I stared wide-eyed at Pod, whom had just slammed his hands on the table. "And I bet that she can! She can last longer than that one Trainer who lasted twenty minutes in a battle against you!"

Pod, don't you be getting me into something I can't accomplish—

"Challenge accepted. Corn will be waiting for you."

…

…

"What have you gotten me into?" I finally said after Corn left.

Pod just placed his arm around my shoulder. "I know you can do it!"

"You do know I'm using Ivy, right?" Who's to say I won't end the battle quickly? Okay, I didn't feel comfortable _thinking_ that. Because I know for a damn fact that Ivy is not for endurance and she never lasts more than one battle.

Pod laughed. "I forget that you don't know Corn and Rumi as well as I do. Seven minutes…seven minutes is usually all he'll ever have to spare to play with you. If you can't last in those seven minutes, then you'll never make it to the end."

Why am I thinking Resident Evil? "Please tell me you're just making a reference…"

"I'm not…" Pod looked serious for once. "Corn assesses his opponents and their potential within those seven minutes. It's basically a warm-up…"

"Why do I feel like that's an understatement?" I'm scared.

Pod crossed his arms. "Because it's your wake-up call…Corn specializes in endurance in his strategy. You better hope Ivy has the endurance—she doesn't, does she?"

"No…" I never had the chance to improve on Ivy's endurance…

Pod face palmed. "I am so sorry…"

"That's fine…" Even though it really isn't fine… "I need the experience and I guess this is a good way to work on Ivy's endurance."

Pod looked at me strangely. "You're rather happy-go-lucky…"

"Hey, I'm not yelling at you, be happy." I mean it.

Pod waved his hand and patted my shoulder. "C'mon, I'll make it up to you if you lose…"

"That's reassuring…" I was at least hoping for a "Good luck" or something…whatever, I'll take it.

…

…

* * *

><p>AN End of chapter. HEEEEEEY GUYS! I'm back! :D I graduated from high school about thirteen days ago, and I'm doing fine! I also cleaned my room, so I've been able to finally work in peace. I'm also eighteen! Yeah, there's nothing really special about being eighteen…it just helps in certain situations.

Anyways, PLOT ADVANCEMENT! OC finally had her first Gym Battle, but she's still one more win away from getting a badge. So, about Pod…I really like Pod (Chili). I think of him as the youngest triplet with hidden depths. This is basically my characterization of this character and it's not going to change. And I know his battle is definitely not like the one in games, but you gotta remember…I'm not going completely by the game. I also mix in elements from the anime, which is what I usually use as a reference for battles.

When OC fights against a Gym Leader, shit gets real. Pod was her wake-up call and she's going to get a lot of them from here on out. Pokémon can get seriously hurt from a battle. Gym Leaders will seem unfair, but remember the Pokémon League. You only see the toughest of Trainers at Victory Road. Think about it this way…Gym Leaders moderate the amount of Trainers taking the Pokémon League Challenge. They need to figure out who has the determination and motivation to take the challenge. This is what OC's family has been through, and why they take Pokémon battles seriously.

OC has managed to win one battle, but can she win another for the badge? And yes, OC does in fact have fanboys…and an ouendan cheering her on… If you guys don't know what an ouendan is, it's a cheer squad. Look it up. There's a game about it, which OC has mentioned. Well, I guess that's all I have for this chapter. Oh, and Axew will also keep its Japanese onomatopoeia because I cannot work with Axew...Axew's Japanese name is Kibago, if you're wondering. Yeah, I also forgot or not if I made Axew use its English onomatopoeia, so sorry for any inconsistencies.

It took me eighteen chapters, but I finally got to the first Gym battle. Also, I finally gotten over 100 reviews, all thanks to you guys! It's been a year and a half since I first start writing this story, and since that time, I managed to write over seventeen chapters (now going to be eighteen). I have 107 reviews, 8,248 hits, 41 favorites, and 53 alerts…just, thank you guys for taking the time to read this story. I wrote this story out as my break fic and it still is my break fic, I'm just taking it more seriously because I'm focusing on a character that is growing up.

Anyways, a shout-out for reviewer #100 **B.m Jr-Twilight Sage**, who is one of my FF buddies. Hopefully, I can get make it past twenty chapters for this story. My current maximum amount of chapters for any story is twenty, and that story also has the current highest word count out of all my stories. I'm still on hiatus for that fic, so don't get on my back about it. I do what I can and to everyone, REMEMBER…this isn't the only story I'm working on.

I have others that exist. If I don't update one story, I probably updated another or maybe I am working on another. Please keep that in mind and the reason I'm doing this is because I'm out of school, so I have more time to myself.

Well, that's about it. Review if you wish, I always like to hear what my readers have to say. Just NO FLAMES and if you hate my story or find something wrong with it, tell me why, otherwise I won't put up with that bullshit in a review. I know for a fact that not everyone is going to like my stories, and I am not pissed off if you say that in a review…

What WILL piss me off is the lack of an explanation for the review and lack of reasoning of any sort to assume what this story is going to be about, because I already dealt with **Y-ko** about this. I WILL get on your case if you just read one chapter and call the entire story generic and dull without an explanation. There is not enough information to form a plausible opinion. Look at me, it took me until _Breaking Dawn_ to realize how shitty the _Twilight_ series actually is and how much I hate Bella. There was literally nothing left for me to defend after reading _Breaking Dawn_…I used to defend _Twilight_ up until that point. And then reality kicks in because Edward is a fucking stalker…there is NOTHING sexy about a stalker who watches an underage girl sleep.

Anyways, I always welcome constructive criticism, but there's a difference between it and shoving biased opinions down people's throats. Try doing that with me and you're no better than **Farla** and **Y-ko**.

Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! I definitely had fun…see ya next chapter! KD out! XD


	19. Still Waters Run Deep

"What incredible luck for you—you get to battle the best among the three of us."

"Hmm…"

I was nervous as fuck as I stared at Corn from the other side of the field. He just stared back with a stoic expression on his face. This was my second battle…and it was going to be one of endurance. Ivy was going to have one hell of a battle, and I didn't like that. I really don't like pushing my Pokémon past their limits so forcefully like this. I rather do it, one step at a time so they could at least adjust comfortably. I just hope Ivy doesn't hate me for this…

Dento was still the referee and if I don't do well this battle, then he was going to be my next opponent. I am seriously running out of luck, here…

"You may begin!" Dento announced.

I unlatched Ivy's Poké ball from my belt and released her. She seemed rather bored, maybe even a tad bit sleepy. "Ivy, get ready for the most serious work-out you'll ever experience."

Ivy was stunned. "Sni?"

"You heard me!" I crossed my arms. "I know you don't like, and neither do I, but we both knew it eventually had to happen…We're working on your endurance."

Ivy seemed annoyed. "Sni…"

"Look, I'll make it up to you…" I really will. "I just need you to do your best and try not to wear yourself out against Wesker—I mean, Corn."

Ivy let out a frustrated sigh. "Vee…"

"Okay, good!" I'm glad we're at an agreement.

"Rumi, prepare yourself," Corn said as he released Rumi from her Poké ball. One thing that surprised me was the expression on Rumi's face. She seemed more serious and she was even stretching out her arms—oh, crap, she's getting ready.

"Ivy, I need you to stretch out…now…" If Rumi's doing it, then Ivy should as well.

"Sni…?" Ivy was confused, but did as she was told.

"Okay, who's going first?" I need to think up a strategy, quickly.

Corn flicked his hair. "Obviously, you are, madam…after you."

I made a face. "I am seriously getting tired of this chivalrous crap."

Corn just smiled. "That's how Corn is."

Man, when are you going to stop referring to yourself in the third-person? It's only cute when N does it… Maybe it's because I don't know Corn that well…

"Okay, Ivy, you never once let me down!" I have faith in my little badass reptile. "Growth!"

I should probably focus on buffing out Ivy's attack and special attack, for the sake of her offense. However, one thing made me worry.

"Work Up," Corn said.

Rumi started glowing red as steam rose off her body. I know this move…it's basically the same thing as Growth. The only difference is that Growth can be extremely effective in intense sunlight. Now the question is…would the sunlight streaming through the glass-topped roof be considered intense? I could give a damn whether or not it is, but just in case…

"Ivy, keep using Growth until you feel like you can't anymore!" I need to pay close attention to Ivy, now. She hasn't ever used Growth to that extent. It was my brother-in-law (Trainer of Kairi's mother and father) who demonstrated Growth's limitations using his Lilligant, Charlotte. Or was it Charlotte's daughter…I mean, there was a Petilil involved and Charlotte is a mother to one. I guess it might have been Juliette. Man, I loved that mother-daughter duo. They were adorable…

"Dammit, I got to stop zoning out!" I nearly slapped myself when I realized I got distracted. "What happened?!"

Corn looked somewhat amused and just gestured at Ivy and Rumi. The battle had already started and Ivy seemed to have attacked Rumi while I was distracted. While I'm glad that Ivy took over, I'm starting to realize the consequences of letting Ivy do her own thing. She's growing too comfortable being in control…and that's bad. Because if this keeps up, she might end up disobeying me and while it seems impossible since Ivy loves me, it actually is possible.

And that is bad because the last thing I need is a disobedient Pokémon. I've heard from my siblings about that and it's not a pleasant thing to experience. Had Touya not given me Ivy, I can only assume that a bite on the hand was the least of his worries.

Speaking of worries, how long has it been since the battle started? I should check my X-Transceiver—oh right, Touya still has it. I really should get that back and I am most likely screwed.

"Yo, it's been seven minutes!" Pod yelled from above me.

Oh, why thank you kindly, dear pyro and oh fuck.

Corn snapped his fingers and Rumi immediately jumped away from Ivy. Rumi took her place in front of Corn. "Corn has determined your potential…you won't make it to the end."

Oh, screw you, Corn! "Ivy, stand your ground!"

"Sni!" Ivy kept her vines out, ready to strike or block (it depends on the situation). She knew something was up. If only I knew what exactly it is…

"Rumi, Dig…" Corn said promptly.

"Hiyap!" And there went Rumi, right into the ground…

"Sni!"

"Oh god!" I did not know you could use Dig that way and by that, I mean dragging the target into the hole. Wait, this isn't the time to get distracted, think quick! "Leaf Tornado!"

I just hope Ivy has the mobility underground to activate it…

"Rumi, Ice Punch!" It seems Corn was expecting that and Ice Punch?!  
>"That is SO not fair!" I was not expecting that!<p>

"Says the girl who owns an Oshawott that knows Night Slash," Corn remarked.

"Touché…" Okay, to be fair, Kairi was born with that move, since her daddy is a Zoroark. "Also, don't bring Kairi into this—stop distracting me!"

"Out of curiosity, did you take your medication or is this just something you're prone to?" Corn asked.

"Of course I took my medication!"

…

…

"At least I think I did…" Dammit, not again…this is even worse than me not taking my medication at all because now I can't actually take it! On one hand, I might have not taken it, on the other, I might have and should I take my medication, I'd end up giving myself a second dose and I rather not risk that. I'm not exactly sure if it's enough to risk an overdose, but I don't take chances.

Besides, my medication is expensive, so wasting a capsule is a no-no and yes, I know I could afford it because I'm rich enough to take up the Lady class, but I don't like wasting money excessively. Why do I hear hissing and growling?

"My, my, our lovely ladies are sure getting rough with each other down there…" I am amazed how calm Corn can be. Then again, I'm also calm…

"So why exactly does your Panpour know Ice Punch?" I'm actually curious. "Aside from having to strengthen your Pokémon in order to create a battle worthy of a badge, that is…I already heard from Pod."

"Pokémon League safety regulations," Corn replied. "Not everyone is actually capable of becoming a Trainer, let alone making it to the League and in order to moderate challengers, Gym Leaders have to up the ante. Earning a Badge isn't as easy as it seems."

"Well, no shit…" I already knew that, but I didn't know about the regulations. It seems like a lot of work… Why was I never told—oh, right, another reason why I wouldn't want to become a Trainer—much more work than it already is. Well, crap… "What's the usual average of challengers a year?"

"Around four or five…if it's a good year," Corn explained. "The League can't afford to have any more accidents, especially with young Trainers. You know how it is with lowering the mortality rate and all."

"I guess…" I keep forgetting that there is an actual mortality rate among Trainers. It's pretty damn scary.

"And, in the long-run, it prevents any Trainers from falling into any financial problems," Corn continued. "Like I said, not everyone is capable of becoming a Trainer and by that, I mean capable of making a career out of it."

…

…

"When was this?" Was I deliberately withheld information from my family in order to keep from adding fuel to my "I don't want to be a Trainer" decision?

Corn sighed. "This is something you would have learned in your third year of high school…you're a sophomore, right?"

"Freshman, actually…I come from Nuvema Town…" Education systems tend to differ between locations in the Unova region. By that, I mean that depending on the location, certain areas of education are classified differently. In Nuvema Town and a few others, as a tenth grader, I would be a freshman, but elsewhere, I'd be a sophomore…it doesn't really make a difference, especially after high school graduation. By then, all systems are on equal grounds…as far as I know.

BAM!

"Hiyap!"

"Sni!"

"Holy crap!" Oh my god, my heart…I was definitely not paying attention to the battle going underground. In any case, Ivy managed to successfully use Leaf Tornado, otherwise Rumi wouldn't have been blown out of the ground by it… "Wait to go, Ivy!"

Ivy popped out of the ground and smiled. Rumi was currently across the field in a dazed, but otherwise, conscious state. This is good…Ivy is actually doing well and—I spoke too soon. Ivy's starting to look exhausted.

I can tell she's panting and…oh god. I can see her actually sweating…that's not a good sign. Dear Arceus, Ivy does not have the endurance for this. I need to work out a training session for that, now what did my sister tell me that was a good way to build up a Pokémon's endurance? I know running is involved and…no…no…you have got to be kidding me.

I'm gonna have to run with my Pokémon…murr, running. I've done enough of that, unfortunately. Ugh, I'll get to it when my legs aren't sore anymore. For now, battle!

"Ivy, use Vine Whip!" Combat pragmatist strikes again! Ivy has a huge advantage at the moment, despite her exhaustion kicking in. I mean, Rumi is dazed and defenseless! Ivy got lucky…I don't like this feeling I have right now. It feels ominous…

"Rumi, Lick…" Corn said calmly.

Almost immediately, Rumi snapped out of her daze and grabbed onto one of Ivy's vines as it neared her. She then opened her mouth and proceeded to lick the vine. Ivy froze, her eyes widening as Rumi continued licking.

"Ugh, gross!" Nasty Panpour, nasty! "Why'd you do that?!"

Corn smirked. "Are you aware of Lick's secondary effects?"

Secondary effects? Oh, you—_you_! "Fak! Ivy, you okay?"

Ivy turned to look at me, but had some difficulty. She was rather stiff and I knew why…Lick could paralyze a Pokémon. Ivy got paralyzed…shit.

"Why is life unfair?" I got kicked out of my house for starters and it only managed to get worse from there on. Seriously, story of my life…I could probably write a book about it, but I won't.

"That would be Pokémon League safety regulations and moderation," Corn replied.

I glared at him. "I don't like you."

"Corn feels indifferent," Corn calmly said. "But you're starting to make me question that."

…

…

"Are you hitting on me?" I wouldn't know it if it hit me right in the face. I should probably go to Cheren and Touya for this. They're rather used to this sort of crap since they had to keep an eye on Touko and Bel… Notice how I left out myself…yeah, forever alone. In other words, what the fuck?! "Dude, I barely know you and I'm being serious about that. You're like the triplet who I had the least contact with."

Corn laughed. "I apologize for the misunderstanding and that, but no…I meant to say that you're really growing on me. I rarely ever get to know my opponents."

"…So you're antisocial?" Well, that's interesting… "I guess I should feel flattered, then…aren't we supposed to be battling?"

Corn nodded his head. "I was waiting for you to remember."

"Thank you for being considerate." Wow, this guy is a real gentleman. Even better, he's not annoyed at all with me. Okay, focus! How's Ivy doing and wow, she's barely hanging in there…

Paralyzed, exhausted, and possibly near her limit, Ivy's been doing rather well in lasting this long. I really have no idea what time it is… "Okay, Ivy, try to use Leaf Tornado!"

And…no, Ivy does not have the mobility for this. "Wrap!"

Fortunately, it seems Ivy is capable of moving her vines! So I guess I'll have to put those to use and in the meantime, why is Rumi not attacking? She's just there, being wrapped up in vines…looking rather calm— "Ivy, drop her or something! You gotta get away fast!"

Ivy decided to do something and by that, she flung Rumi towards a wall, just as Corn gave an order for Rumi to use…ICE BEAM?! Holy crap, I'm glad Ivy was out of THAT range. I'm not exactly sure if she can dodge well while paralyzed…that is still a bad thing. At least Ivy managed to hurt Rumi somewhat by flinging her towards the wall.

Okay, let's assess the battle. Ivy is exhausted and paralyzed, Rumi is…actually starting to look exhausted. She's not looking so calm anymore…quite the opposite, in fact. I think I get it… Okay, this is gonna sound cliché, but Rumi is very much like water. Can appear calm at times, but hides much more underneath. That's what makes most bodies of water intimidating…you just never know. However, water can be disturbed as well by outer forces, which might explain Rumi's sudden change of demeanor.

The more I think about this, the more it makes sense as to why Corn was the more complex triplet. He's good, I'll give him that…and I really starting to regret taking up that challenge of battling all three triplets. I almost lost against Pod and this battle is turning into more of an endurance run…

Still, experience does do a lot in the long run and I'm sure it will benefit Ivy's endurance… I just really hope it doesn't end up harming her health. Hell, I hope it doesn't hurt Rumi as well.

"You've noticed, haven't you?" Corn suddenly asked.

"Hmm?" Okay, can you be less vague?

"How similar we are to water, I mean…" Corn explained.

I blinked. "How did you know…?"

Corn smiled. "Lucky guess…I wasn't sure if you were blanking out or thinking. Still, nice observation."

"That's pretty smart of you." Not gonna lie, actually taking advantage of that aspect in the figurative sense. It's a really difficult to pull off, so major props to Corn. "However, I'm afraid it won't be of any use at this point."

"Indeed…but it seems both our Pokémon are reaching their limits." Corn was observing both Rumi and Ivy. Neither of the two had moved much, instead staying in their spots, just staring at each other. They were just too exhausted to move. "It seems this battle has turned into an endurance run. Who will succumb first to exhaustion? I guess we'll just have to wait and see…"

"Wait…are you allowed to do that?" I'm confused. I thought Gym Battles were legit Pokémon battles…then again, there are only a few rules and I AM up against a Gym Leader.

"You are aware I am a Gym Leader, right?" Whoop, there it is. "Besides, I rather not jeopardize the health of our Pokémon."

"Point taken…" I am really lucky…

"Still, I am amazed with your Snivy…" Corn remarked. "Not many Pokémon last this long against Rumi, let alone get Rumi to drop her façade. It certainly takes a lot for that to happen and just…"

"I get it, you're shocked." Well, so am I. I am honestly amazed with Ivy. She lasted this long, despite her lacking endurance. "So…how much longer do you think they'll last?"

Corn shrugged. "Who knows…it's not just a matter of endurance, but also a matter of judgment on the Trainer's behalf. Are you willing to put your faith in your Pokémon at the slight chance it might harm their health? Or are you willing to make a choice to prevent that issue at the cost of losing?"

Shit…I never thought of that. Forfeiting was something Trainers only did as a last resort for the sake of their Pokémon's health. The way forfeiting is usually looked at in the most extreme sense; it's a Trainer's "lose or die" scenario. Either a Trainer admits defeat, or their Pokémon dies as a result from the battle. It's also a two-way scenario in the form of "lose or kill" for the opponent. Again, that is in the most extreme sense…unfortunately, the "lose or kill" scenario tends to be a common occurrence. Some Trainers are willing to ignore their own Pokémon's health and instead depend on the opponent's conscience in order to win.

This is how most Pokémon die and it's quite sad. Of course, in this situation, the most that can happen is that my Pokémon can get sick since she's overexerting herself. Kinda like how I did when…yeah, gonna stop thinking about that incident. Still…do I want to take that risk…?

…

…

The answer is no. "I'm sorry Ivy, but I don't want you getting sick."

Ivy was quick to look at me with a panicked expression on her face. "Snivy sni!"

"I overexerted myself once and it was horrible…" Of course, I was in the rain, but still…it's not fun. "I am not letting you do the same…"

Ivy was about ready to protest, but her eyes suddenly rolled into the back of her head. Within seconds, Ivy was on the ground. About a split second later, so was Rumi. It's a double knockout… Of course, it's obvious who the winner is, so I have to win the next match.

I sighed and returned Ivy to her Poké ball. "You did good, my badass little reptile…"

"Indeed," Corn agreed as he returned Rumi to her Poké ball. "I have never had a double knockout as a result, so that's definitely a first."

"Yeah, but I lost…" I should have seen it coming…but I still hoped.

"Not necessarily!" Pod suddenly exclaimed as he literally popped out of nowhere.

"Holy crap, Pod!" My heart! "Auugh…don't scare me like that…did you run all the way down here?"

Pod grinned. "Yup! But that's not important…what IS important, however, is that I won the bet!"

The bet…? Oh, crap, that's right! "Time?!"

"Forty-five minutes!" Pod exclaimed as he pumped his fist into the air. "That's a new record and for a single battle, no less!"

Oh damn…how…what…I just… "I don't even know."

Pod blinked and crossed his arms. "Well, it did help that your Pokémon kept the battle going while you were distracted."

"I really need to stop blanking out…" I should probably give myself reminders of whether or not I've taken my medication. That could probably help me avoid the "did I take it or not" situation… Of course, knowing me, I'd still forget. "Just let me have my intermission before the next match…"

…

…

As I waited for my next match, I had the luxury of meeting up with Touya again during the intermission. I was having a small staring contest with his Trubbish as he talked to me.

"Kairi's doing well, she's just about done…I just came back to drop off Sophie and take your Snivy back with me to the Center since you probably want me to do that, right?" Touya looked at me, waiting for my reply.

"Yup, you got that right and—wait, Sophie?" I turned my attention to Touya. That caught me off guard…

Touya smirked. "Yeah, remember how I was getting Trubbish gendered at the Pokémon Center? Turns out she's female…"

I turned my attention back to Trubbish. "So you're a girl…"

Trubbish blinked. "Tru?"

"Okay…Sophie, was it?" That's a cute name… "I'm happy for you… Do you know that?"

Sophie blinked and smiled. "Trubbish trub!"

I smiled back. "Well, now you know…"

Touya was happy with his Trubbish and Sophie was just happy to have a Trainer. Despite all the crap that has happened to me, I'm glad I have an actual reason to smile. Even though I'll probably lose my next match against Dento, I can still have something to be happy about…now to acquaint myself with Natsuki, my only _male_ Pokémon…Yeah, something tells me Natsuki is NOT going have a fun time. I certainly won't…

…

…

* * *

><p>AN End of chapter. OC's first loss, everyone and hey guys, guess who's NOT DEAD! ME! Yeah, I'm just busy with college and crap. I should probably be working on my outline for my persuasive speech for communications, but nah…I rather update for the readers. Because I left you hanging for so long, so yeah…by the way, another reason aside from college being in the way, was the fact that my new laptop…DID NOT HAVE OFFICE. So I had no access to Word, unless I borrowed my brother's laptop, but the keys are just so bunched up and just…ugh.

Just yesterday, I got Microsoft Office on this laptop, so I'm BACK! Of course, none of you guys will be getting much from me just yet…I won't be free until Thanksgiving, so please be patient with me updating. I am really busy and finals are coming up. I rather not fail any classes because classes cost MONEY.

Anyways, aside from me hopping on the Homestuck fandom, I also now owe the Supernatural fandom a soul. I just got to season 4 the other day…yeah. Let me just say, while I was rereading this fic, I got a lot of Supernatural vibes from OC and Touya…the way they interact at the start, I mean. There was even the "bitch-jerk" little banter as well, which caught me off guard…but yeah. It's funny.

Also, X and Y! I have a lot of ideas, now! Of course, I won't be incorporating the Fairy type yet, since X and Y put it down as recently discovered (or recently categorized as another type), so I have to stay linear to that, but I will be hinting at it at times. In any case, my non-OC Pokémon fics are now scheduled to be edited to fit in with I am Trainer, except focusing on Touko's side. So because of that, I am Trainer is no longer an AU of an AU, but an actual part of Our Last Pact. The reason for it is because I now have a REASON to keep Touya alive and that is OC…funny how that works.

Aside from that, that's about it…oh, and yeah, Pokémon League regulations. I mean, why else would there be only a few Trainers actually making it to the League? And considering the majority of ALL the Trainers on Victory Road are adults or in their late teens…yeah. With the exception of the player character, there HAS to be a reason for that. So yeah…also, mortality rate…I went there and with X and Y…yeah…just…yeah.

Welp, that's about it for this chapter! Hope you enjoyed it and once again, sorry for the hiatus! Until next time, KD out! XD


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